> Journal of Occasional Nonsensicality > by Acryliks > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Don't forget to subscribe! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia stared into my eyes, and I slowly found myself being captivated by her gorgeous, violet orbs. “You know, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. Not the fame, or the money. Not the lights or the crowds. You are,” I said to her. Her gaze remained unchanged. “Oh, playing hard to get? I see how it is,” I pouted. Octavia remained stoic, and I slowly raised my hoof, tapping her on the nose and laughing. When I opened my eyes, I... "Octavia, are... are you okay?” I asked her. When she did not respond, I slid my arm out from under her, and sat up on the bed. “Hey! Octavia, are you there? Hellooooo?” I said with a chuckle. She simply stared at the same spot on the ceiling. I sat up straighter this time. “Octavia, cut it out. Come on, what’s the matter?” I said, and once again, she remained motionless. I reached out with my hooves, placing them on her shoulders. “Come on, what’s wrong? Octavia? Octavia!” I shouted, shaking her gently. Suddenly, at a speed that I have never seen before, Octavia shot upright, grabbed me by the arms, and put her face right in front of mine, only a few milimeters separating us. She stared into me, not into my eyes, but into me. I could practically feel her looking through me. She placed a hoof gently on my cheek, and slowly brought me forward. I did not resist. Just before our lips met, she suddenly placed a hoof on my chest, stopping me. I looked at her confusedly, before she pulled me forward, so that she was talking into my ear. I felt her breath on my neck, and I shuddered. She opened her lips, and spoke. ... “You should subscribe to Diem, for great emotes, like DMBit, and DMLamazo,” I looked at her confusedly. > Something New? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I came across a... deranged looking human. “Hello?” I said to him. “Hi, how’s it going?” he said back to me. I stepped back cautiously. “It’s... alright,” I told him. The man sighed at me, before giving me a look of sadness. “Hey... are you okay?” I asked in concern. “I suppose my day could’ve went better,” he said in a monotone. I nodded slowly, waiting from him to continue. The man stared at me, not realizing the hint I was giving him. “Do you ever think that even the most cruel people in the world can change? That even the most cruel and dastardly people on the planet can turn a new leaf?” he asked in a somber tone. I tilted my head as I digested the words he had spoken. “...it depends. Realistically, the answer is always 'it depends.' Some people are inherently evil. But most... most aren’t. So yes, usually,” I said, hoping to possibly drive the man away. The man nodded in understanding. “Well I thank you for your time, not many people go out of their way to... talk to someone... randomly. I hope I don’t...” the man trailed off. I raised an eyebrow at him, motioning for him to continue. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a little out of it today,” he said. “...” I did not offer a retort, instead opting to scan the area to count how many civilians there were in the area. “That’s fine, we all have days like that, no matter who you are,” I told him, offering a smile to go with my words. “What’s your name, friend?” he asked me in a happier tone than before. “...Daniel... and you?” I asked with a leg firmly planted. Something about the man put me... on edge, so I was prepared for anything to happen. “Well I’m Aedan, and some day, I know you’ll have the potential to change the world we live in forever,” he told me. “...” “You have a bright spirit about you... even though it doesn’t seem that evident,” Aedan told me. “I mean... you just contradicted yourself, but I understand what you’re telling me. As for potential... I don’t want to sound overly pretentious, but do you know who I am? Respectfully?” I asked him, glancing around for Octavia. “Well even though I don’t know you from Adam, I feel like I’ve known you for a very long time, and just haven’t seen you... Someday, I feel through some unknown circumstance, we may meet again. So until then friend,” Aedan told me, before turning, and walking away. I relaxed my posture, staring at the man until he vanished behind a corner of a building. I stared after where Aedan left, pondering the strange, quizzical nature of the individual. “There you are!” I heard Octavia’s voice call out to me. I glanced to my left, seeing her walk up to me, her saddlebags bulging with new swag. “I found an adorable new saddlebag, and I just had to pick it up for myself. Thank you,” she told me. I glanced to her, not hearing what she had said completely. “I... yeah, of course,” I said, changing my gaze back to where the man had left. Something was... off about him... something... new? > Overly Crass > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Bitch lasagna,” I said angrily. Octavia glanced up to me confusedly. “I... excuse me?” she said to me. I looked up to the sky. “Open bob,” I said to no one in particular. Octavia half turned her body to get a better look at me. “I... I’m sorry, I don’t know what... that...” she trailed off. “...what?” I asked. “What do you mean what?” “...what just happened?” “I... you were saying some very... unique things,” Octavia told me. I glanced around to see where I was. “I... don’t remember any of that. What did I say? Anything overly crass?” I asked carefully, worried that I might have done something irreversible. “Oh... you said... oh goodness... bitch lasagna, if I heard correctly,” she told me. I winced in surprise and confusion. “...I can tell you right now that I have no idea what that means, and that I’ve never heard that phrase before,” I told her. “...” “...did I say anything else?” “You said... open bob. Again, I have no idea what that means, nor have I ever heard that... term... in my life,” Octavia told me. I nodded slowly in understanding, trying to figure out what any of that meant. “...you don’t remember any of what you just said?” she asked me. "Absolutely not," I told her. She looked down for a moment. "Well then... let's just ignore that then," she said with a smirk. I gazed around the park where we were sitting. "Agreed," I chuckled. > Next year will be better! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Did you happen to see an energetic pink mare bouncing around the castle grounds?” my roommate thought aloud as she stepped into our apartment. “Yeah, she was all over the place! I could hardly keep my eyes on her before she shot off to Celestia knows where,” I said, pulling the dark purple shades from in front of my eyes. I threw them on the coffee table as I rounded the corner into the kitchen. “There were a few instances where I was completely shocked at the kind of things that she was capable of,” I heard Octavia call as she sat down on the couch in the living room. I swung open the door to the fridge, my eyes scanning the shelves for something to drink. I eventually settled on pouring myself a glass of milk. “Like what?” I responded. “Well… at one point, when I was able to get a longer look at her, she... seemingly pulled a large plate of food from out of her mane,” “Out of her mane. Like…” I trailed off as I set the milk down on the counter, a glass levitating out of the cupboard and settling next to me. “I know, confusing. I had no way of really knowing what she did, or how she managed to hide something like that so perfectly,” she told me. I brought the glass up to my mouth, cleansing my pallet and quenching my thirst at the same time. “How do you think that even works? Like... how does she fit stuff like that in there without anyone seeing it?” I asked as I wiped my “milk mustache” off of my lip. I heard the sounds of a cello case opening, the locks making their trademark “clicks.” “That was something that I had been wondering myself. With the way she seemingly avoids the basic laws of science, especially with the way she moves... perhaps it’s best not to think about it,” Octavia told me as she pulled her cello from its case. I stealthily slid the glass I had used into the sink, and placed the milk back into the fridge. “You know, Princess Celestia seemed quite entertained by all of the shenanigans that she managed to get herself into,” Octavia told me. I let out a hearty laugh. “Ha! Sometimes I wonder if she even cares about the Gala. She always looks bored when she’s there,” I thought aloud. “Hm, maybe you can see it they’d let you play one of your sets there next year,” she told me with a smile. I thought for a moment, before my jaw dropped open. Octavia noticed my expression immediately. “Vinyl, I was only kidding. There’s no way that they’d let you-” She didn’t have time to finish her thought. I had a set to compile for next year. It had to be perfect, of course! > War... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I slapped a nine down on the table. “Well?” I asked smugly. “Damn,” Vinyl said under her breath as she laid a four down on the table. “Thank you!” I said happily, taking her card as well as mine and placing them in a small pile of cards next to me. I pulled another one from my in-hand deck and placed it face down in front of Vinyl. “One, two, three,” I said, flipping my card and revealing a two. Vinyl did the same, and... “What?! Are you kidding me? A one?” she exclaimed as I swept up her card again. War was an intense game of pure, unadulterated skill and coordination. “Son of a bitch! You’re so god damn lucky!” Vinyl yelled as she kicked the edge of the table. Okay, maybe not... “What can I say? It just comes down to skill, really,” I said as I sat back, taking a sip from my water as I did. “Oh, please. It’s complete chance! Unless... you didn’t shuffle the deck in your favour, did you?” she asked as she leaned forward, glaring into my eyes. “What? Me? Vinyl, how could you accuse me of something like that?” I asked, placing a hand on my chest to feign accusation. “Did you?” she pressed. I laughed at this. “Of course not, that wouldn’t be any fun,” I said as I drew another card from my hand. “Go,” she said. I flipped my card, flashing a six. “Yes!” she yelled as she picked up my card, her eight beating me. I chuckled a bit at this. “This is where the comeback starts!” she proclaimed her upcoming win. She flipped her next card. “...you’ve got to be kidding me,” she deadpanned. I smiled at the one that she had played. I flipped my card over, and... “Ah, a tie. You know what that means,” I said as I drew three cards from my deck. She mirrored my movements, picking three cards and placing them face down. I did the same. “Ready? One, two, three,” I counted, flipping a card with each number called. I quickly counted my cards. “Seventeen,” I told my opponent. “...nine. God... AH!” she screamed. I looked to her hand as I cleaned up all of the cards, and realized that she was in fact out of cards. I heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs, and turned to see Octavia coming down. “Alright you two, I need to go and get-” “FUCK!” Octavia was cut off by Vinyl screaming profanity as she walked into the kitchen, taking her loss in stride. “Graceful, no?” I asked as I looked to Octavia. She did a double take at Vinyl’s outburst. “I used to be completely against Vinyl, or anyone for that matter, cursing out loud, but after having lived with Vinyl for so long, I have honestly become dull to it at this point,” she said blankly. “THAT’S THE FOURTH TIME IN TWENTY MINUTES!” Vinyl yelled from the kitchen. My smile grew wider. “What were you two playing?” Octavia asked. “War, just war,” I told her, taking all of the cards and shuffling them into a neat pile. “Four times? You won four times?” she asked me. “Yep. Vinyl doesn’t know the one rule about war,” I said darkly. Octavia glanced at me. “Oh? And what is that?” “...war. War never changes,” ... “What does that even mean?” > Getting Jolly Early > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Luna, what are you doing?” I asked confusedly. Luna turned to look at the area behind her before turning back to me. “I… what does it look like I am doing?” she asked, sounding concerned that I was questioning what she was up to. Normally, when I have to ask Luna that question, it is not anything good. “Well, it looks like you’re putting a wreath on your door, but...” I trailed off. “But what?” she pressed. I bit my lip as I tried to stifle a laugh. “But… well, you’re wearing a hoodie that says “happy holidays" on it,” I told her. She tilted her head. “And?” “And… it’s November eighteenth!” I shouted, throwing my arms up in exasperation. Luna gazed at me with a raised eyebrow. “…and?” “Luna, we’re still over a month away from Hearth’s Warming and you’re already preparing for it,” I told her blankly. “So? What is wrong with that? Am I not allowed to prepare for my favourite holiday of the year?” she asked innocently. “Luna, you told me last week that Ponyville’s Running of the Leaves was your favourite holiday,” I deadpanned. “So? Can my choice in favourite holidays not change?” “It can, but before that your favourite holiday was Hearts and Hooves Day, and before that it was Nightmare Night,” I told her. She blinked a few times. “Well, that just means that all of the holidays that we go through are getting progressively better and better!” she exclaimed. She turned around to continue fixing her wreath to the door to her bedroom. “You... I... ah, whatever,” I said as I turned, walking away. Five minutes later... “Oh, not you too,” I said quietly as I looked at Celestia. “And just what is that supposed to mean?” she asked with a smirk. “...what’s with the Hearths Warming hat?” I asked in a monotone. “Oh! I am preparing for the greatest Equestrian holiday! Gotta get into the spirit, of course,” she said with a hearty laugh. I turned and walked away. “Where are you going? Have some cheer!” Celestia called out from behind me with a laugh. "IT'S NOVEMBER!" I called back. I could practically hear Celestia smiling. > Opposites Attract > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia finished assembling her creation, turning to face me. “Well? What do you think?” she asked expectantly. I looked at the sandwich for a few moments, before gesturing towards it. Octavia looked at me, then the sandwich, then back to me. “Oh! Of course, be my guest,” she told me. I nodded, and picked up the sandwich, before pulling off one of the petals. Truth be told, I was actually relatively fond of daffodil sandwiches. Having been introduced to them at a young age, I was one of the few humans who actually found them palatable. Not that they would be my everyday choice for what I wanted to eat, but they weren’t awful either. I took a bite of the daffodil, pineapple, and coconut sandwich, which Octavia had made for me. “Don’t be afraid to tell me what you think. It would be nice to hear someone recognize my aptitude for sandwich making,” she told me, placing a hoof on her chest in self-admiration. I chuckled, and savored the flavors, individually picking out the three distinct food items in the sandwich. Daffodil was a very strong flavor, and had a bitter kick to it. However, while I was expecting this, I was pleasantly surprised with what I tasted. The sweetness of the pineapple helped to balance out the bitterness of the flowers, and since coconut and pineapple were practically made to go together, the combination was not only palatable, but surprisingly sapid. I quickly took another bite to reengage the taste. “...well? What do you think?” Octavia asked me. I closed my eyes and let the taste of the pineapple mellow out the bitterness of the flowers. Everything came together in one large burst of flavor, and I was in love with it. “This is actually surprisingly good. Like, not kinda good, but really good,” I said after swallowing, and I watched as Octavia’s eyes lit up. “Really? Well... truthfully, I’ve never shown anyone else this recipe, it’s just something that my father used to do. For the longest time when I was growing up, I never knew why he liked putting that kind of stuff on his sandwiches. One day, when I was living by myself, I remembered it when I was making one, and I just... got hooked, if you will,” Octavia recounted. I listened through another mouthful, truly enjoying what she had made for me. This was something that I would definitely have to remember in the future. “Well, I think it has potential to be a family recipe, so you should probably keep it a secret,” I said with a wink. “Do you really think so?” Octavia asked with hope in her voice. “I know so,” I said while taking the last bite from my food. “...thank you,” she said quietly. I don’t know why, but this must have been a touchy subject for her, what with the way she reacted. I guess even the concept of sandwich making can be special to some ponies. “Anytime Octavia,” I said with a smile. > Pranked! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Don’t you think that this is a little... I don’t know... cliche?” I asked with a perplexed look on my face. Octavia was standing on a step ladder on the inside of Vinyl’s room. “What do you mean?” she asked me as she looked past her own foreleg. Three days ago, Vinyl had thought that it would be a hilarious idea to prank Octavia. She had taken the liberty of acquiring some “Xtra Hot Chili Flakes” from a comedy store she found in downtown Canterlot, and when her roommate was not looking, she slipped some into her food that night. Vinyl had told me all about it, but I got a completely different story from the victimized mare. When Octavia bit into her food, she got a taste that she was not particularly fond of. Octavia had never been one to appreciate spicy food; in fact, she tried to avoid it if at all possible. This, coupled with the fact that Vinyl had removed all dairy products from the house and disconnected the water, had lead to an extremely amusing and over the top reaction from Octavia. Or so I had been told. “I mean, hasn’t the whole ‘water bucket on top of the door’ been done to death already?” I asked as I gazed up at my friend. Octavia had never really be one for revenge, but when Vinyl did what she did, she must have crossed some sort of line with her roommate, because Octavia had started scheming almost immediately. “And not that it wouldn’t be funny, but...” I said as I looked around Vinyl’s room. “But what?” Octavia asked as she came down from the ladder with the bucket tucked into her left foreleg. “I mean... Vinyl has a lot of expensive equipment in here, of which she probably needs to do her job. Don’t you think that this would be the worst place in this house to start throwing water around?” I half-asked, half-hinted. Octavia looked towards all of Vinyl's DJ equipment for a moment, before sighing. “I suppose you are right. Really, I’ve never been one for pulling practical jokes,” she said with a huff as she set down the bucket full of water. I thought for a moment, before an invisible light bulb appeared over my head. “You know what? I have an idea...” I said darkly. Two hours later... “Do you think that this might be a little too mean?” Octavia asked me with a look of concern on her face. “I don’t think so. Besides, I really, really want to see her reaction when you break the record,” I said with an evil grin on my face. Octavia nodded, before standing up from the couch where we were sitting. “Alright, everything should be ready, so you keep a look out, and when she’s coming up to the house, you let me know, and I’ll do it,” she told me. I craned my neck to look behind me. “Well, you better start going, because she’s coming right now,” I told her, seeing Vinyl approach the door to the house through the living room window. “Really? Oh Celestia, alright, play it cool!” she told me as she ran up the stairs and into Vinyl’s room. “Play it cool... nice,” I muttered to myself with a laugh as Vinyl opened the door to the house. “Hey man, what’s up?” she asked me as she set her keys down on the coffee table with her magic. “Nothing, just hanging out. Octavia just went upstairs to get something,” I told her. It wasn’t technically a lie, since she really was upstairs grabbing something. “That’s cool, say, do you-” “Vinyl!? Is that you?” Octavia yelled from upstairs. “Yeah, I’m here Tavi, what’s up?” she yelled back. I smiled slightly, making sure that Vinyl didn’t see my grin. I heard the sound of hoofs coming down the stairs. “I wanted to ask you a question about one of these record you have,” Octavia said as she came down the stairs. In her right foreleg sat one of Vinyl’s most prized possessions. A vinyl record. Cohoof and Cambria. Their fourth album. Autographed personally by the lead guitarist. In absolute flawless condition. I had learned that it had been a birthday present from her father, and since it was Vinyl's favourite band of all time (surprisingly enough), she had immediately preserved it in a glass viewing case for all to see. It was of immense value to her. Priceless, really. “I was wondering if you- oops!” Octavia snapped as he pretended to trip on the last step into the living room. To catch herself, she needed to extend her right leg. To catch herself, she needed to let go of the record she was carrying. Crash! The record hit the floor, still in it’s original paper packaging, with a loud breaking sound. It sounded like glass breaking, albeit a little lower in tone. “Hey, Octavia, are you okay?” Vinyl asked her as she came to her side. “Ah, yes, I’m fine. The record, though...” she trailed off. “Hey, it’s fine, it’s just a record. I can always buy ano-” Vinyl stopped mid-sentence as she turned to see what record Octavia had been carrying. Her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped open. Octavia came up next to her. “I am really sorry, Vinyl. I had to catch myself, and I couldn’t with the record in my arm. You understand, right?” she asked innocently. Of course Octavia knew how valuable that record was to Vinyl. Of course this was my idea... ...of course it was a fake record in fake packaging. I'm not that mean. “Octa... you... that was...” she gasped in disbelief. “I’m really sorry Vinyl...” Octavia trailed off. “That was... that... that was the record that my dad gave me...” she said with her mouth still agape. “I know dear. Do you know what else it was?” Octavia asked while placing a hoof on Vinyl’s shoulder. Vinyl looked to her with malice and confusion in her eyes. “...a prank,” Octavia said innocently. Vinyl flinched and blinked a few times. “You... what?” she asked confusedly. “Next time don’t disconnect the water, you know how much I dislike spicy food,” she told her roommate, and with that, she sauntered into the kitchen, humming a light tune to herself as she did. Vinyl watched her as she walked away, before turning and looking to me. “Gotcha,” I said with a laugh. Vinyl lowered her head and took in a large breath. “That.... was not funny!” she yelled towards Octavia. “It was hilarious!” Octavia yelled back. A little too far? Perhaps. An amazing, once in a lifetime experience? Absolutely. > Happy Hearth's Warming > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “IT’S TIME! OCTAVIA! GET DOWN HERE, IT’S TIME TO OPEN PRESENTS!” I heard Vinyl yell from the bottom of the stairs. I chuckled slightly, making sure I did not make a mistake in wrapping the gift I was working on. Of course, I was one of those people. I always managed to buy my gifts fairly early, but I also always waited until the last minute to wrap the presents, increasing the chance that someone would discover them before they were supposed to. This year, however, I was not concerned. I had found an amazing hiding spot that no one would ever think to look in. “I mean, really. Who would ever think to look inside of a pillow?” I muttered to myself. I briefly thought about what would happen if someone sat on the pillow, but quickly pushed this thought aside to focus on wrapping Vinyl’s present. This year, I had been invited to spend Hearth’s Warming with my two friends, and we had decided to exchange gifts as well. I had bought and given all of my other friends and family their gifts already so that I would be able to spend time here, so all I had to worry about was not messing up the wrapping job I was doing. “Yes yes Vinyl, I know, I’m here, don’t worry,” I heard Octavia respond to Vinyl as she came down the stairs. “Daniel! Are you coming?” Vinyl asked me as I heard her start walking towards me. “Hey! Don’t come in here, I’m still wrapping your present!” I yelled to her, spinning around to face her. “You’re still doing that? I wrapped my gifts last week,” she told me smugly. “Yeah? Well you have magic to do it, and I have to use my hands. It’s really annoying,” I told her as I went back to wrapping. “Well, hurry up, Octavia and I are ready to start,” she said, trotting back into the living room and sitting down on the far couch. I quickly finished wrapping the present, and picked up Octavia’s gift as well. I turned and walked into the living room, where the two mares were waiting for me. “Alright, I’m ready” I told them. Vinyl motioned towards the tree. “Well? Put them under the tree, you can’t just give them to us, we have to take them from under the tree,” she told me. I nodded sarcastically. “Ah yes, of course. How foalish of me,” I said with a laugh. I placed my two boxes under the tree by the stairs, next to all of the other gifts. “Why don’t you go first, Vinyl? You’re obviously the most excited one here,” Octavia told her. “Well, don’t mind if I do!” she exclaimed, popping up from her place on the couch. I was quick to steal her spot, not that she really cared. Vinyl walked over to the tree, and scanned the small amount of boxes for her name. “I’ll start with Octavia’s, since Daniel just put his here,” she said to herself more than anyone. She picked up a medium-sized box that was wrapped in white paper, with a neon blue bow holding everything together. The colors matched Vinyl’s coat and mane perfectly. “This paper is really cool Tavi,” she said while sitting down next to the mare. “Thank you, it was actually rather difficult finding a color that so closely resembled your mane,” she mused. “Daniel?” Vinyl asked me, and I nodded, standing up and picking up the gift that Vinyl had gotten for me. The present was wrapped in yellow paper with a red bow accenting it. I thought it looked quite nice. “I suppose that’s leaves me,” Octavia said as she stood up. She picked up my gift to her from under the tree, and came back to sit down. “Alright, ready? Open them,” I said aloud, undoing the bow on top of my box. The sounds of paper rustling was all that could be heard for a few moments. “...oh, wow!” Vinyl exclaimed as she pulled out a large, grey hoodie from her box. She smiled at the front, before turning it around to show me. “...is that a Cohoof and Cambria hoodie?” I asked. “Hell yeah! This is great! Thanks Tavi,” she thanked her friend, who had a rather proud look on her face. I looked down at my present, and pulled the last bit of paper off the gift. Inside, I pulled out... “...is this a... a capo!” I quickly realized. “Yeah man, for your guitar. Look at it though,” Vinyl told me with a hint of pride in her voice. I looked closely at the capo, only to see that not only was it painted in the colors of Vinyls coat and mane, but across the bar of the capo was the word “Vinyl.” Overall, this was an amazing gift, put simply. “That’s really cool! Thanks a lot Vinyl, this is now my go-to capo,” I told her with a warm smile. “Good, that’s what I was hoping for,” she told me, before looking back to Octavia. She had just opened her present, and pulled out a... “Oh, goodness. This is simply beautiful,” she mulled to herself. Octavia held a water bottle in her hand, but not just any run-of-the-mill bottle. The body was a dark grey titanium-aluminum alloy, and engraved on the side of the bottle by unicorn magic was the word “Octavia.” Above that was Octavia’s cutie mark, also engraved into the side of the bottle. “This is... this is purely magnificent. Thank you Daniel,” she told me with a genuine smile on her face. I nodded, happy that she was content, even thrilled with the gift. “Alright, one more time,” Vinyl said. This time, we all just got up together to get our presents. I sat down, Octavia’s gift in hand. Vinyl had my gift to her, and Octavia held Vinyl’s gift. “Ready?” Open them,” Vinyl told us, and the sounds of paper rustling filled the house once again. I was first to get my gift open. “A mug... and on the side, it says... shut your...” I trailed off. The mug was white, and on the side of it, were the words “shut your,” and underneath that was a... musical scale? “Shut your... Eff, Eh, Cee, E... oh...” I smiled, mentally kicking myself for not immediately getting the joke. “Get it?” Octavia asked me with a large grin. “Yep. Shut your face,” I chuckled to myself. The notes on the scale were arranged in the order of the notes “F,” “A,” “C,” and “E,” spelling out “face.” Pretty clever, if you ask me. “I love it! Thank you, Octavia,” I said sincerely. She nodded with a smile, before Vinyl began yelling about her gift. “A studio pouch, but... there’s something inside,” she told herself, before unzipping the bag. “...a new set of artists pencils, and a set of colored pencils to match! Hey, how’d you know I needed a new set?” she asked me with a laugh. “You were complaining about it last week,” I told her with a smirk on my face. The studio pouch I got her had the word “LOVE” on the side, but the “O” in the word was a vinyl record. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but Vinyl was quite the artist when she wanted to be, and she absolutely loved drawing. “I love this, thank you,” she told me happily. I nodded my response. Finally, Octavia managed to get Vinyl’s gift open. “You do a very good job of making sure we get a workout when we open your presents,” Octavia quipped. She dropped the paper, and... “...a brand new pair of saddlebags! My, come to think of it, mine were getting pretty worn down, were they not?” she mused to herself while running her hoof over the bag. They were a light purple in color, and the straps were an even lighter shade of purple. They paired perfectly with Octavia’s eyes and cutie mark. “This is perfect, thank you Vinyl, really,” she told her, clutching the bag to her chest. For a moment, we all just looked around. We had all given and received wonderful gifts, spent time with our close friends, and now... “Well, I guess that’s it for presents. Now we have to clean up this mess,” Octavia said apathetically, motioning towards all of the paper on the floor. “Or... alternatively, we could not, and just go eat,” Vinyl told us smugly. Octavia looked to me. I shrugged my shoulders. “Works for me,” I thought aloud standing up. Vinyl was quick to join me. We both stood and watched Octavia, who sighed audibly. “Curse peer pressure,” she said quietly, before standing up and joining us in the kitchen. “...hey guys?” I called out. Both mares looked to me. “Thanks a lot for inviting me over. It really means a lot to me,” I said happily, yet sadly at the same time. “Of course, you’re our friend, and we’re more than glad to have your here. Happy Hearth’s Warming,” Octavia spoke softly. I smiled. “Happy Hearth’s Warming...” > Something is wrong... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I flinched. “...what’s wrong?" Vinyl asked me. I looked around for a moment. For the briefest amount of time, everything seemed normal. But... then... “I...” I trailed off. Vinyl turned towards me, taking her headphones off of her head. She set them down on the tray that was in between us, opting to give me her attention instead of her music. “Are you alright? What’s up man?” she pressed me. “Something... something doesn’t feel right...” I told her as I lowered my head in thought. There was no way I would be able to put it into words, but like I said. Something just felt... wrong. Like... somewhere, something was in the wrong spot. “I guess you shouldn’t have eaten those hay fries after all, huh” Vinyl joked as she elbowed my side, laughing as she did. Her attempt to lighten the mood went, unfortunately, unnoticed. “...say, is something really wrong? What is it?” She asked with a concerned gaze, going as far as to lift her shades from in front of her eyes. My heart, my mind, my body, my soul... An overwhelming feeling of dread washed over me, yet... there was no cause. I could not see, feel, or remember anything that could have happened or that could happen that would cause me to feel this way. The clacks of the train wheels under us were a constant reminder that I was still very much here and alive, yet I felt... disconnected. From me, from my friend, from my seat, from... from my life. No... it wasn’t dread. It was... something. Ah! What is this? The feeling was completely alien to me. I cannot describe it to you. The only thing that I can say is that something felt completely and totally... “Wrong. Something just feels wrong,” I told Vinyl. “That’s... not a lot to-” Vinyl was cut off by an external voice. “Would you two like anything to drink?” a colt called out to us, cutting through the thoughts that I was having. “I... I’ll just have some water, thank you,” I told him. “Same,” Vinyl said. He nodded, pouring us both a tall glass of water with a lemon garnishing the side of the glass. He set them in our cup holders, before nodding and walking away to serve another set of passengers. Suddenly... Everything went back to normal. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was out of place. Everything was whole again. “Seriously dude, talk to me. If something is wrong, I need to know so I can help you,” Vinyl told me. I flinched again. “Everything... is normal again,” I thought aloud. Vinyl’s shoulders dropped. “Look, would you stop talking in code?” she half joked. “...I don’t know, Vinyl. Everything is normal now,” I said again, looking at my hands as I did. Vinyl slumped back into her seat. “Alright, well... you have fun with that,” she gave up. I sat back into my own seat. The feeling was completely and utterly indescribable. Nothing was wrong, yet everything in my life, for a short time, had felt... incorrect. I didn’t feel like myself, and I felt like I didn’t know who my friend Vinyl was. But... in a different way. An experience that was completely alien to me, yet sat right on the top of my mind. If I ever find out what this feeling is, I’ll be sure to make a note of it... > Smad > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vinyl sighed audibly, giving off an air of defeat as she sunk back into her place on the couch. “What’s wrong?” I asked her, picking up my glass of water from the coffee table as I did. “I just… I don’t know. Maybe it’s the weather,” she told us, staring at the ceiling. Octavia glanced at me over the book she was reading, giving me a concerned yet disinterested gaze. "Well… what’s wrong with the weather?” I asked, looking to the window as I set down my water. There was a light amount of snow coming down at the moment, but overall it was rather nice out. “Eh… I don’t like the snow. It’s all… cold, and wet sometimes, and it gets everywhere… it’s like rain, but not as wet and way worse,” she said, waving her forelegs around in exasperation. “I mean, it’s not all bad, is it? We could be in the middle of a blizzard right now,” I responded. She sighed again. “I guess you’re not wrong… ah!” she yelled, sitting up from her seat. “Vinyl, please, try to keep it down. Some of us are trying to read,” Octavia rebuked her roommate. I glanced to her. “...I mean, you’re the only one reading, so...” I told her, smirking. She shook her head, dropping her shoulders at the same time. “Sorry, I just feel so… is there a word that’s a mix between angry and sad?” she idly question the room. Octavia and I shared another glance. “...disgruntled… miserable, desolated… malcontent would work, I suppose,” she thought aloud. I briefly pondered the words she had stated, but Vinyl… “...smad. I think I’m smad,” she concluded. The book Octavia was reading dropped to her lap. “Smad? I give you a list of perfectly accurate words to describe how you feel, and you settle on one that you just made up?” she interrogated Vinyl. I bit my hand to keep myself from laughing. “Yeah, it fits perfectly. Sad and mad… smad. That’s how I feel. This weather is making me feel smad,” she reasoned. Octavia looked to me for backup. My smile grew even wider. “I… you… ah, whatever. I’m getting myself some wine,” she said as she left her seat, opting to drown out Vinyl’s antics with alcohol. At this point, it wouldn’t really be that bad of an idea... Inspired from this picture that my friend showed me in class today... > Breaking and Entering > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised that you of all ponies got yourself into this situation,” I said aloud as I looked at the door to Vinyl and Octavia’s home. “Ha ha ha, shut up,” Vinyl responded to me as she paced back and forth. We were standing on the stone path that was outside of my friend’s house. Vinyl had stepped outside to do... something, and in the process closed the door behind herself without unlocking it. The keys were inside, and of course, Vinyl didn’t have any other way of getting back into the house. Not unless we got... creative. Or... not creative... “I don’t suppose you have any genius ideas as to how we can get back inside, do you?” she asked, turning to me with an eyebrow raised. I glanced up at the windows that were on the second floor of the house. “I don’t know, you don’t happen to be carrying a ladder on you, do you?” I asked her. “Ah, what a surprise, I don’t. Sorry, I guess I left it inside!” she yelled to me. I snickered to her. “Well we aren’t going to get anything done by being smart-asses... though I guess that’s how you’ve made it this far, so maybe I should try it sometime,” “You’re already really good at it, you don’t need to try anything except for getting us back inside,” she quipped. “What about the back kitchen door? Is that open?” I asked hopefully. Vinyl thought for a moment. “I actually don’t know. It should be, I’ll go try it,” she told me, before turning and disappearing behind the side of the house. I walked up to the window on the front of the house, only to find that it was sealed with no way to open it. That’s probably what the other windows were for. “It’s locked too. I guess Octavia always locks that one, now that I think about it,” she thought aloud. “...does she keep a key on her?” I asked. Vinyl nodded to me. “Yep, in her saddlebag, why?” she questioned me. I crossed my arms and smiled. “You know, we don’t need to stay here. We could go and do something else and wait for her to come home. I think it’s around two, so she should be home in... a few hours? Four, right?” “Yeah, she comes home at four usually. Where would we go, though?” “I mean... Donut Joe’s is always open late. We could go and hang out there for a while,” “I... well... that’s not a bad idea, actually. I don’t feel like waiting here, and climbing on the roof does not look appealing. Eh... screw it, let’s go,” Vinyl told me, turning towards the restaurant section of Canterlot. I’m sure Octavia would be confused as to where we went, but hey, she can’t complain. I was bringing her free donuts! > Hearts and Hooves Day > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Wait a second... isn’t it Heart’s and Hooves Day?” I asked out loud as I swallowed the last bite of my first glazed donut. “...I guess so, yeah. Do you have a special somepony?” Vinyl asked me. She picked up her iced coffee and took a long sip. “No, not yet. I guess it’s a little late for that anyway,” I spoke thoughtfully, taking out my second donut from the bag it was in. “Well, I guess you and I are in the same boat then,” she mused while setting down her drink. “What about you? No one in your life?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was suggesting anything. “Me? Well... not really. I mean, there’s this one colt, but he doesn’t really like me in that way, you know?” she told me. This surprised me. Vinyl was always moving so fast that it was interesting to see her talking about something so down-to-earth. “Aw, well you never know, something could change anytime,” I told her. She smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. At the same time, I don’t really care either way. Relationships are complicated, and messy. They aren’t always fun,” she laughed to herself. I chuckled along with her. “I know where you’re coming from. Sometimes I tell myself that I just don’t want a relationship. Too much hassle. It’s a bit cynical, but... eh, whatever,” I thought aloud, biting into my second donut. “Someday if the right person comes along then... maybe I’ll give it a real chance, but right now? At the height of my career? It would probably just slow me down,” she said, almost proudly. I nodded, sitting back in my chair and sighing loudly. Vinyl did the same, glancing to me. We stared at each other. “...” “...” “...” “...we’re both aware that we’re saying these things to make ourselves feel better about being alone on Hearts and Hooves Day, right?” I asked. “...I mean... I didn’t want to say it, but... yeah, pretty much,” she responded. I smiled warmly. “I’m glad I have a friend like you, Vinyl,” I told her. She smiled. “Me too man. Happy platonic Hearts and Hooves Day.” > SMH > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My glare strengthened as I thought harder. It would be my turn any moment, and I needed to have something ready for when it was. “...” “...” “...sorting my haiku's...” Octavia stated. I nodded slightly in understanding, preparing to give my answer. “...simplifying my... horology...” I spoke. Octavia raised an eyebrow. “That’s a good one,” she said quietly. “Thank you, thank you,” I responded. It was completely silent in the home. You could hear a pin drop, through a door, with earmuffs on. It was dead. Silent. “...” “...” “...sharing... my hieroglyphics...” she told me. I smiled, trying not to laugh. “That’s not bad,” I told her. She nodded her thanks silently with a large grin spread across her face. We started at each other for a few more moments... “...stating my hypothesis,” I thought aloud. Octavia nodded again. “...” “...” “...superimposing my... humanity...” Octavia told me. I raised an eyebrow. “That’s a really good one,” I told her. She smiled proudly. “Thank you.” Before anyone could say anything else, the sound of keys at the door could be heard. The door opened as Vinyl stepped into the house with a pair of saddlebags across her back. “Hey guys, what’s up?” she asked us. We both grinned at each other before answering. “We were having a competition, of sorts,” Octavia spoke. Vinyl glanced over to me. “Vinyl, what does Ess Em Aitch stand for?” I asked her. She blinked a few times. “...shaking my head?” she half-asked, half-told me. I nodded. “Octavia and I were seeing who could come up with the best alternate meaning to the acronym,” I told her, biting my tongue so I didn’t laugh at my explanation. Vinyl blinked a few more times. “...that’s pretty silly, you know that, right?” she asked us. “Of course it is.” I told her. She flinched. “You... whatever, just help me put these groceries away.” > ~1275% > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You know what I don’t get?” Vinyl asked as we left the ticket booth and made our way towards the concession stand. “What’s that?” I responded. “Why does organic food cost more than regular food. Veggies and fruit... they always cost more when they’re labelled as organic,” she told me. I glanced down at her, debating where this idea would have sprung from. We were in a movie theatre, so her surroundings were out of the question. We stepped into the relatively empty line, and I silently thanked Octavia for convincing us to leave earlier than we had planned. “And why do we even need to list things as ‘organic’ or ‘not-organic’ anyway? What kind of processing do you have to do to a carrot to make it ‘not-organic?’ Aren’t all vegetables organic? What changes?” she thought aloud. I digested her ideas, before realizing that we were next in the concession line. “Vinyl, it’s our turn,” I told her, ushering her towards the patiently waiting mare behind the counter. “I’ll just get a large soda, please,” she told her, pulling out a few bits from her saddle bags and paying. I stepped forward, purchasing myself a soda and a small popcorn. “You know what else doesn’t make sense? The price of popcorn. You’d practically have to mortgage your house off to afford anything bigger than a small size,” she added to her growing list of things that didn’t make sense to her. I briefly thought about what she was telling me, before realizing that I had been completely ripped off for the popcorn. “I guess you’re not entirely wrong, this popcorn cost me six bits alone,” I said to her, prompting a response immediately. “Exactly! How much do you even think it costs them for that amount of kernels? A quarter of a bit? Hell, probably even less. What a rip off.” “I guess it’s just a matter of convenience. They know you’re already here, so they know that they can sucker you into buying something completely overpriced,” I rationalized. We approached the usher, each of us handing him our tickets. He validated them, and pointed us in the direction of our cinema. “I guess so, but still. What’s the mark-up on a bag of popcorn? It’s gotta be four digits, right?” Vinyl asked me. “Actually, that wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest,” I responded as we entered the cinema for the showing the Power Ponies movie. “Whatever. I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time,” she said, gazing at the few amount of ponies that were already waiting for the movie to start. “Where do you want to sit?” I asked. “...dude...is that even a question?” “At the top?” “Duh... where do you want to sit...” she said mockingly. I simply rolled my eyes. > Professions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vinyl ran back down the stairs a few moments after disappearing up them. Her turntable floated closely behind her, behind that a box that she kept some of her records in sailed with it. She quickly sat down on her chair on my right, setting everything down and beginning her work. I watched in anticipation as Vinyl began setting up her latest piece of tech on the living room coffee table. She had recently purchased a new travel-sized mixing board to take with her when she worked at smaller, less intense events. Even well known DJ’s had to work with the little guy every now and then. I watched as Vinyl meticulously unwrapped, routed, and plugged-in cables. She glanced up at me, giving me a confused look, before going back to what she was doing. I tilted my head, trying to make sense of the activity that she was engaged in. I glanced over to Octavia, who was sitting opposite me on the second couch across from the coffee table, then back to Vinyl. We were both fairly enthralled with what Vinyl was up to. “...alright, what gives? What are you two staring at?” Vinyl asked us without even looking up to us. I looked back to Octavia, only to find her looking in a completely different direction. “Nothing, I’m just watching you set up your new... board,” I told her as I looked back to her. She glanced up to me, cracking a confused smile. “And why, if I may ask, is what I’m doing so interesting to the both of you?” she pestered us, as she struggled with a stubborn cable. “What? Me? I’ve been looking elsewhere the entire time,” Octavia said in an overly fake innocent tone. I smirked at the thought. “Yeah, sure ya have,” Vinyl deadpanned. “I just think that... I don’t know, it’s cool that you seem to know how everything works on that thing, even though you’ve only had it out of the box for a few minutes,” I told her, glancing over to the package that she had taken it out of when it was delivered. “...you think it’s cool that I know how my audio equipment works?” she half-asked, half-repeated to me. I nodded. “I also find your process to be quite captivating,” Octavia spoke, still looking in another direction. Vinyl glanced between the two of us for a few moments, before throwing her forelegs up into the air. “Well golly gee! It’s almost like it’s a part of my job to know how this kind of stuff works! Say, Octavia! Can you tell us how the soundpost in your cello works?” Vinyl yelled. “Of course. The soundpost in the body of a cello works to-” Octavia spoke before being cut off by Vinyl. “Ah ah ah! It was rhetorical. My point is that... yeah, of course I know how my equipment works. It’s kinda how I make a living. And working at a radio station for a long time certainly doesn’t make things worse, ya know? This is just a smaller version of what I have upstairs... Tell ya what. The next time you sit down to write something, I’ll sit behind you and bug you about the nuances of your writing, okay?” she finished, pulling a record out from the box they were held in. I blinked a few times, before looking to my other friend. Octavia was also staring at me. I pulled my lips back slightly, uttering ‘I don’t know what to do now’ wordlessly. She smirked slightly, before we both looked back to Vinyl. “...you guys know that I’m kidding, right?” she asked us with a grin. Octavia let out a large sigh, and I lowered my head in relief. “Of course I’m not mad! Now come on, who wants to listen to some Cohoof and Cambria?” she asked us excitedly. Octavia groaned and rolled her eyes, before sinking back into her seat. “...that’s becoming quite the running joke around here, isn’t it?” I asked both of my friends. They glanced to me, perplexed looks on both of their faces. “...I’m actually surprised you know what a soundpost is, truthfully,” I spoke aloud. If looks could kill, I’d be dead. > A Solo Performance > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Octavia’s hooves glided into her case and onto her bow, releasing the locks that held it in place. She carefully picked it up, before setting it down on the bed behind her. She reached back into her case and pulled out two more items that I recognized: rosin, and a tuning fork. “If you really want to hear me play outside of my performances, you don’t need to be afraid to ask me. I practice everyday for at least four hours, usually more. I’m sure there’s more than enough time for me to play for you,” she told me with a smile. I raised a lip at the thought. “I mean... I know, but... I don’t ever want to disturb you, you know?” I explained. “Ha! Now if only I could get the same kind of consideration from Vinyl, I wouldn’t have to worry about completing my practice for the day,” she laughed as she applied her rosin to her bow. “Does she disturb you often?” “Hm... no, but there are more than a few cases where... well, let’s just say that a bit of consideration for others goes a long way,” she said with a smirk. “I get that,” I chuckled. “Alright, just let me tune again, and we can start,” she told me, reaching for the tuning fork. Octavia struck it against her other foreleg, and it rung out a perfect sound. Concert pitch. A, four hundred and forty hertz. Clear and pristine in tone. Octavia quickly tuned her highest string, which I had been informed was an A but an octave below concert pitch, before moving on to the rest of the strings. With how seasoned and proficient she was with her cello, tuning did not take more than twenty seconds. She let a final long stroke of her bow run across her lowest string... C, before glancing up to me. “Alright... what would you like to hear? Anything specific in mind?” she asked me. “Well, I guess I would like to hea-” “Ah!” Octavia cut me off, giving me a stern look. I stared at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to continue. “...whatever you do, don’t say Ponybel’s Canon in D major,” she deadpanned. I gave her a blank look, and we stared at each other for a few moments. “...that’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?” she asked, her words dripping with apathy. I breathed in sharply, before giving her a large smile. “Ugh... anything else?” she sighed. “...how about... Suite Number One?” I asked, hoping for a better response. I must have picked correctly, because Octavia simply beamed at me. “That’s one of the pieces that I played for my audition to the Royal Academy,” she told me, puffing her chest up. “Well, it’s a staple of the instrument, is it not?” I asked. “Hm, very much so. Suite Number One helped to bring the cello into the light as a soloist’s instrument, and set the precedent in quality for modern cellists. It was ahead of its time, and likely still would be,” she thought aloud. I admired how much dedication Octavia had for her instrument and everything that went along with it, including the history. “Any specific movement?” she asked me. I shook my head, trusting her to amaze me. Knowing her, it would not be hard. Or maybe... knowing me... She brought her bow up to her strings, lowering her head as she did. “Prelude...” she whispered. The room fell silent, and I listened. After a few moments, Octavia began to play. With practiced... no... perfected movements, she played. Every note was pristine. Every arpeggio was clean and distinguishable. This was a piece that I had heard many times, but never from so close. Everything was just... clearer. It was almost like I was discovering the piece for the first time again. I shuddered at the thought. No...at the music. This was... “...wow...” I whispered involuntarily. Octavia must have heard me. She opened her eyes slightly, smiling at my reaction. I had dabbled in music before. A bit of piano here, and a splash of guitar there, but... this wasn’t the same. This was a master in her element, doing what she had trained her whole life to do. It was more than a blessing to hear someone so passionate play for me, and it would likely stay with me for the rest of my life. Too soon, Octavia brought her bow to rest on her A string, letting the sound from her final note ring through her vibrato. She lowered her head again, waiting for the note to fade away. Glancing up at me, she smirked. I corrected the... rather silly look that I had on my face, before clearing my throat. “That was... I, uh... um...” I stumbled. Octavia giggled to herself, clearly enjoying me making a fool out of myself. “...I don’t even know what to say. I mean... excellent? Perfect? Beautiful? Sure... those are... are words...” I trailed off. I mentally kicked myself for being so stupid. “How about the Allemande?” she asked with a grin. I exhaled, before composing myself. “Yes, that... that would be nice,” I told her. It was. It was very nice. > Pearly Whites > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Excuse me, are you... Danny?” I looked up from my book to see a nurse standing in front of me. I glanced past her, only to see Vinyl with a large goofy look on her face. I lowered my head and sighed, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. “Yep, that’s me! I assume Vinyl is ready to leave...?” I asked, smiling at the nurse with an understanding look. “Yes, she’s all done today, and ready for some rest,” she said, looking back to Vinyl as she did. “Ah... pfffpfpt... I don’t need rest, I need ice cream!” Vinyl yelled out. The nurse ducked under her hoof as she waved it through the air. The nurse pulled on my shirt, and I bent down to listen to her. “She’s coming down from a new type of anesthesia that the EDA is using, so she’ll be like this for a few more hours while it wears off,” she whispered to me. I thought back to the research I had done before this to know what I was getting myself into, and I nodded my thanks. “Alright, come on champ, it’s time to go,” I told Vinyl as I guided her towards the door of the dentists office. “...good luck!” the nurse called out. I looked back at her with a half-smile on my face. “Good luck to you too! You’ll need it!” Vinyl called back, before I ushered her out of the office. “Hey man, whadd’ya in such a hurry for? Relax... just go with the flow...” Vinyl told me, practically falling over as she did. Oh, sorry, I can't. I have... rehearsal. I have a rehearsal to attend. You don't mind taking her, right? I briefly cursed Octavia in my mind for giving me the short stick. “And I thought anesthesia was supposed to make you loopy, not high...” I murmured to myself. “Whad’ja say?” Vinyl asked me. “I said... that... ice cream is a great idea,” I lied. I didn’t want to see what Vinyl would be like if she got upset now. “Now that’s... that’s the, uh... the spirit,” Vinyl stumbled, being distracted by a butterfly that had passed us by. “Come on Vinyl, don’t you want to go to Swirl’s? We’d better get there before they run out of Mint Chocolate,” I coerced Vinyl away from the butterfly. I saw her ears perk up, before she slowly turned around. She looked at me, eyes twitching. “I, uh... they probably won’t actually run out of it...” I backtracked. “Not this time!” Vinyl yelled as she ran past me, breaking out into a sprint towards Swirl’s ice cream shop. “God...” I sighed as I took off after her. Next time, Octavia is taking Vinyl to the dentist... > Fronk > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What the fronk was that!?” I glanced down at my friend, not paying attention to whatever had drawn her interest. “What did you just say?” I asked her, stepping over a hole in the sidewalk. “Something just rushed past! It was green!” Vinyl shot her gaze to her left. “Could have been... anyway, what did you say again?” “I asked what that was.” “No, what exactly did you say?” “I said... what the fronk was that...?” Vinyl stopped walking and turned to me. “...fronk?” I raised my eyebrow. “Yeah, fronk.” “What, uh... why did you say that?” “Why, uh... why’s it such a big deal?” “It isn’t, I’m just curious as to why you would replace your usual lingo with a word like that.” “What, you mean ‘fuck?’” “...yeah, that one.” “I don’t know, I heard one of my friends say it last week, and I guess I just... thought it was funny.” “Really? So you... actually, you know what? I am not even surprised.” “Good, you shouldn’t be, at this point.” “So is this an attempt to lessen your swearing at all?” “Pfft, nah, I just think that it’s a funny word. Fronk.” “I... yeah, sure. It’s hilarious.” “I’m glad we’re on the same page, man.” > Happy Hearth's Warming II > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “If heaven and hell decide, that they both are satisfied... Illuminate the no's, on their vacancy signs... If there's no one beside you, when your soul embarks... Then I'll follow you into the dark... Then I'll follow you... into the dark...” “...that was really beautiful. How long have you been practicing that?” Vinyl asked me, glancing up and down my guitar. “The better part of this year, I guess. I heard that song a long time ago, but it wasn’t until then that I thought to start learning it,” I told her, pulling one of my cloths out of my gig bag. “Well you’ve obviously come a long way since then,” Octavia said, casting a warm smile at me. I quickly wiped down my guitar, before putting it back in its bag. “Thanks... the F chord is still giving me a bit of trouble, but I’ve worked it out to the point where I can sort of make it sound good,” I smiled back. Vinyl, who was evidently tired of waiting for me, stood up and went into the kitchen. “Is the food ready yet? I’m starving!” she exclaimed. “You know what? I doubt that very much,” I smirked. “And why would you do that? Look at the poor filly, you can practically see her ribs!” Octavia poked at Vinyl, giving her a large grin to go with it. “Hey! There’s a difference between me appreciating fine cuisine and pigging out, okay?” Vinyl placed a hoof on her chest. “And which one are you going to do this season?” I asked her with a cocked eyebrow. “Pfft, both... duh,” she said as she turned and went into the kitchen. Octavia and I looked at each other before sharing a laugh. She then turned to face me. “So Daniel, do you have any plans for after today?” she turned her head. “I mean... there’s usually some pretty good sales for after the holidays at Donut Joes’s... that’s not a bad idea,” I told her. “Not that, silly. I mean things like family, or parties,” she giggled. “Eh, not really. You know I don’t like parties, and my family is in Manehatten visiting the other side... so I guess I don’t really have any plans after this Hearth’s Warming, no,” I thought aloud. “I suppose that makes sense... what about friends? Is there anyone that you want to go and see? Anyone special in your life?” “Hm... there’s a few people I might go and see... yeah, that’s not a bad idea. And... no, there’s no ‘special somepony’ in my life right now,” I confessed to my friend. “Aw well... you know what they say. There are more unhelpful metaphors and anecdotes about finding someone to share your love with than there are chances to find someone special!” Octavia recited to me. “Is that... is that what they say?” “Something like that, I never really bothered to check that one.” “Ha! I believe it, trust me.” Before we could continued our discussion, Vinyl trudged back into the room, with a box full Hearth’s Warming lights in tow. “Come on Daniel. I want to put these lights up and I need your extended reach to help me,” she ordered me. I shot my gaze between her and Octavia. “...you do know that your magic can reach all the way to the top of the house, right?” I asked her, full well knowing what the answer was going to be. “Yeah, but I don’t want to go and do this alone, now come on. You too Octavia, let’s go,” she commanded us, not giving us the choice. Octavia and I glanced at each other, before shrugging and getting off of the couch. “You do know that today is Hearth’s Warming, right? Why are the lights only going up now?” I asked Vinyl. “Because I completely forgot that we had them, and I am not going to let them go to waste this year,” she responded. “You know they’ll still be around next year too, right?” I questioned her. “...you have literally no proof of that.” > Late Nights > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Zzzzzzz...” “...” “Zzzzzzz...” “...” “...Zzzzz-” Bing bing! “...huh... wha...?” I blinked a few times, trying to clear my blurry vision. I glanced over at my night stand to see the time. 2:17 AM. “...what the fu...” I thought aloud. Reaching over, I picked up my phone and clicked the power button. “...ah!” Turns out that turning on your phone when it's at full brightness in the dark is bad for your eyes. I spent the next few seconds blind, waiting for my vision to come back. Once it did, I picked up my phone again. Quickly turning down the brightness, I opened the most recent text that I had gotten. 1 New Message: Vinyl “...what could she possibly want at this time?” I snapped. 2:15 AM: hey daniel... are you awake? 2:19 AM: Well I am now. 2:19 AM: did I wake you up? sorry... 2:19 AM: Whatever... what’s up? 2:20 AM: i dont know, i guess i just wanted someone to talk to 2:20 AM: Is there something specific? There was a long moment before I received another text. 2:22 AM: i really want to tell someone that i like them... but i cant 2:22 AM: And why not? 2:23 AM: its a fucking stupid reason 2:23 AM: It probably isn’t. Are you afraid of what their answer is going to be? 2:23 AM: yep 2:24 AM: Well that’s not a stupid reason. That’s natural. What’s not natural is if you let that fear of rejection stop you from making progress with the person that you like. 2:24 AM: leave it to you to come up with something logical like that, huh? haha 2:25 AM: What do you want? An illogical answer? 2:25 AM: how about a less impersonal one? I thought for a moment. Less impersonal? Hm. 2:26 AM: I guess... just go to them and tell them how you feel. Is that the most cliche answer possible? Yes, but is it what you need to do? I think so. Come on, you’re Vinyl Scratch! Not some filly who’s afraid of getting their feelings hurt. I know you can do this! 2:27 AM: simple as that, huh? 2:27 AM: As simple as that. 2:28 AM: alright... on an unrelated note, what are you doing this morning? do you want to go out for breakfast? 2:28 AM: Sure, sounds great. Where do you want to go? 2:28 AM: i dont know, i’ll come by your place and we can go from there, okay? 9 work? 2:29 AM: Sure thing. I’m going to get some sleep before then. Goodnight Vinyl. 2:29 AM: goodnight Setting my phone back on my nightstand, I flopped onto my back, preparing to go back to sleep. My mind drifted between who the mystery man could have been. Vinyl had a lot of industry contacts, but none that I could think of that she frequently talked about. Before long, my sleep had caught back up to me, and for the rest of the night, I dreamed about what to have for breakfast in the morning. > Morning Coffee > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey Daniel.” “...hey Vinyl, what’s up?” Vinyl slumped into the booth opposite of me, a red hoodie covering her upper body. “I need coffee,” she told me, rubbing her temples with her hooves. “Long night?” I asked. “...more like early morning. I woke up at five thirty today and couldn’t get back to sleep,” she groaned through her sleeves. I made eye contact with the waitress for my table and waved her over. “Well that doesn’t sound like fun,” I smirked. “Good morning, what’cha having?” the waitress asked Vinyl. “Coffee, black, please,” “You got it, anything else?” she asked. Vinyl shook her head, and the waitress nodded, walking back to get her coffee. “I don’t get ponies like that,” Vinyl thought aloud once the waitress couldn't hear us. “What, those who are happy in the morning?” I asked. “Yeah, like what kind of stuff do you have to be on to enjoy mornings?” “I hear beds are all over the street right now,” I joked. Vinyl smiled, glancing out the window into the streets of Canterlot. “So, about that colt that you like,” I opened the main conversation topic. “Oh, right... well, what about him?” she asked. Before Vinyl could speak, the waitress came back with Vinyl’s coffee, quickly scurrying away to attend to other customers. “Who are they?” I pressured, Vinyl drinking a large portion of her coffee. “What are you, my mom?” she chuckled. “I could be, you never know in this day and age.” Vinyl raised an eyebrow at me, before continuing. “Well, he’s this colt that I met at the radio station. You know how sometimes I go there to do things like interviews and contests?” she polled me. I nodded, taking a long sip of my hazelnut latte. “His name is Polar Pattern, and he’s an audio engineer. He just started working at the station. I went there a few weeks ago for a contest shift, and when he was on break, we started talking,” she explained. “Ooo, saucy,” I poked. “Yeah yeah, anyways... I don’t know, he was just... terribly interesting. Everything about the way that we talked seemed... natural.” “You have innate chemistry with him, that’s good. Is it because you share similar lines of work?” I asked her. “That was part of it, yeah. He was nice, and charismatic, and... eh, I don’t know, it just seemed right,” she spoke. “Well, like I told you, you should just tell him. It sounds like he was pretty in to you, too,” I told her. “...maybe,” Vinyl trailed off. “Ah, you’ll be fine,” I adamantly told her. “Hm, thanks man.” “Of course. If you aren’t going to be confidant in yourself, someone has to!” I prodded. Vinyl just laughed. > Hearts and Hooves Day II > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “...” “...” “...” “...checkmate,” Octavia quietly spoke. “Ah, damnit! Again?” I yelled, gazing over the chess board. “It would appear so. I have to say, you definitely don’t know when to quit!” she told me. “No, I know when to quit, but I don’t ever want to.” “Ha! I believe it,” Octavia poked at me. I scoured the board, using the power of hindsight to realize that I had, in fact, walked into that loss. “Hey, where’s Vinyl? I haven’t seen her all afternoon,” I questioned, glancing over at the clock to read the time. “Oh, didn’t she tell you? She’s out with the friend she made from work... Polar Pattern, I believe,” Octavia informed me as she began to reset the board. “Hey! Good for her! ...wait, it’s Heart’s and Hooves Day, isn’t it?” I thought aloud. “Mhm. What’s with you and always forgetting holidays? Vinyl told me you did the same thing last year,” she smirked. “I’m legitimately surprised you remember that. I don’t know, I just don’t pay attention. But hey, you know what?” I asked. “What?” Octavia raised an eyebrow. “That just means that tomorrow all of the candy in the stores will go on sale and boom. Practically free candy,” I told her my master plan. “Hm, is it really practically free if it still costs?” she giggled. “Practically.” “Ha! Well then, get me some of those white chocolate and orange candies, will you?” “You actually like those? What’s wrong with you?” I poked. “Oh please, like you’re one to ask that question on Heart’s and Hooves Day,” she fired back. “Fair enough... I’ll get you some of those candies, and you can lose this next game for me, okay?” “Ha! Sounds like a plan... bring it on.” Octavia challenged. ...for the record, she won again. > Rekt! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “He’s over there, in the corner! Kill him!” “I’m trying, hang on...” “...no! Go back! Get him!” “Yeah yeah yeah, wait!” “...” “...oh my god! How can someone camp for the entire game and feel good about winning!?” I shouted, throwing my controller onto the coffee table in front of me. “Ugh, ponies like that make me want to jump out of a window... right in front of a bus,” Vinyl fumed. “...that may be a slight overreaction,” I smirked. “You think?” she asked me. “Yeah. The alternative to that would be to throw the camper out of the window and let him land in front of the bus. Then everybody wins!” I planned, glancing at the screen. I immediately saw someone had posted something in the after-game chat. “Hey...” I poked at Vinyl, pointing to the screen. We leaned in to see what was written. “lmao you guys cant aim 4 shit get REKT XDD” Vinyl and I glanced between each other for a moment. “...you know what? That’s enough games for today,” Vinyl told me, getting up and walking over to the TV. “Yep, I agree.” “You wanna go downstairs and get some food? There’s some leftover pasta in the fridge,” Vinyl asked me, walking towards the door to her room. “Sure. Is it alfredo?” I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah man, only the best!” Vinyl declared, placing a hoof on her chest. “Did you make it?” I questioned. “Yes, why?” “Then it’s not the best.” I teased, walking out of the door with a laugh. “Oh, ha ha. Very funny!” > Never Judge a Book... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Did you know that Princess Luna plays a lot of video games, apparently?” Vinyl asked me. “Yeah, she told me that,” I said through a mouthful of pasta. “Wait wait, what?” my friend questioned me, setting her fork down to focus on me. “Yeah. I have to go to the castle every once and a while for, uh... legal reasons. I got to meet the princesses. Turns out Luna really likes Castle Buster,” I thought. “Hold on... you know the princesses?” “...that’s... that’s what I just said.” “Yeah yeah, cool. So what are they like?” Vinyl pressured. “Eh, they’re not all that they’re hyped up to be, really. Celestia is supposed to be this powerful and caring yet imposing ruler who sees all, and Luna is supposed to be this... crazy, aggressive, and loud alicorn, but... they aren’t like that at all,” I recalled. I glanced down to see that I had eaten all of my food. “Really? What’s different about them?” “Ha! Where do I start? Celestia is actually really sweet. Like, motherly sweet. She likes taking walks to just talk and catch up. And it’s not just me. Other ponies and people in the castle have told me that that’s actually really common. She’s just... very personable. It’s hard to not like her,” I explained, getting up to wash my plate. “And Luna? What about her?” Vinyl followed me with her eyes. “Luna is the total opposite of what she’s made out to be. People like to think that Celestia is really caring, and that’s totally true. But people also like to think that Luna is cold and distant,” “She isn’t?” “Not at all! It’s actually kind of funny. She’s basically a little kid, when it comes to her friends. She loves candy and video games. When I met her for the first time, she asked me if I had ever played Castle Buster. She got really excited when I told her I had,” I smirked to myself. “Ha! She sounds like she’d be fun to hang out with,” Vinyl thought aloud while getting up and giving her plate to me. I raised an eyebrow at her before taking it and beginning to wash it. “She is, really. See, here’s the thing. They both have a lot of power, right?” I asked. Vinyl nodded. “Celestia seems to be really careful with how she handles it, but Luna... heh... Luna has no problem using her authority for the most basic of things,” I chuckled. “What do you mean?” Vinyl inquired as she opened the fridge and began digging around. “I mean once when I was at the castle, Luna invited me to come and play split-screen with her. Obviously I would have been crazy to decline. We started playing, and soon after she called on one of her attendants. You know what she wanted?” I turned to Vinyl. She glanced up at me and tilted her head, milk in her grasp. “She wanted him to go all the way across the castle and get her a bag of candy. That’s it. She could have just teleported there, but nope!” I teased my friend. “To be fair, isn’t that their job?” Vinyl countered. “Oh, absolutely. It’s just funny that that’s what Luna would be concerned about. Not tax legislation, or court dates. Candy. Luna just wants candy and someone to play games with,” I smirked, placing the plates in the clean side of the sink to dry. “Well, she sounds like my kinda gal. You’ll have to introduce me at some point,” Vinyl chuckled. “Ha! Oh yeah, I’ll be sure to do that, just for you,” I laughed as I dried my hands. “Sounds good man. Hey, do you want to come shopping with me? I just finished off the milk,” Vinyl told me, waving the empty carton in front of her. “Sure, why not?” “Solid, let’s go,” Vinyl told me, and with that we made our way to the market, laughs of the princesses abundant. > A Platonic Play Date > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "..." "..." "..." "...left." With a quick flick-shot, I blasted the last enemy, clutching the round and securing the victory for our team. "Yeah! Take that! Oh, what? Not good enough for us? Too bad! Ha ha!" I yelled, throwing my arms into the air in celebration. "Heh... You really seem to enjoy this game," Princess Luna observed as she grabbed another piece of candy corn with her magic. "Eh, it's pretty fun. I think practically any game is better when you play with friends," I told her, setting my controller down. "That's true. We love how games can have so much more than just an entertainment value to them," Luna told me. "Oh, for sure. It just seems easier to connect with some people when you both have something to focus on that you both care about," I thought aloud. "Hm... the social aspect of it is quite intriguing. At the same time, they also can have the effect of really bringing out the true nature of some people," Luna mused, going in for even more candy. She offered me some, to which I simply shook my head. "Oh yeah. It's not uncommon to hear other people raging about being spawn-camped," I chuckled. "Ha! An event that we are all too familiar with. Say, would you like to play a few rounds of Castle Buster?" "Oh, I knew that was coming. Yeah, I love that game," I answered, reaching for my water on the coffee table. "Excellent. We were worried that you might have said that last time we met in an effort to win us over," Luna admitted. "And why would I ever do that? That's just... disingenuous." "...we have come across plenty of ponies and people who would take that course if given the option. Most ponies we have met here in Canterlot are only concerned with their social status," Luna sighed. I glanced over at her. "Yeah... I know what you're talking about. You can't walk two feet in this city without some noble giving you a weird look," I said, air-quoting the word "noble." "It truly has been a problem that has plagued this city for a very long time. There have been numerous attempts to solve the issue, but no resolution has ever really been found. Some ponies are just happy to have a superiority complex." Luna walked over to the game console and took out Honor Bound, replacing it with Castle Buster. "Yeah... I don't know. I don't really let it bother me. They're nothing to me, so why let what they think impact me, right?" I shrugged. "That is a fine way to look at it," Luna told me. "Alright... What level are you?" I asked her. "Sixty four, and I'm almost to sixty five," she informed me. "Oh... you haven't even unlocked Dark Magic spells yet? That's cute," I poked at her. "What? You're a higher level!?" she demanded. "Oh yeah, eighty two." "Hm... well, it doesn't matter. I am the superior castle buster anyway," she declared, placing a hoof on her chest. "Not with this loadout, you aren't," I told her as I browsed her current setup of powers. "What do you mean? This loadout is crafted for optimal castle bustage!" she insisted. "Pfft, no. Look, you're running Earthquake with a ground unit backup. That lowers their morale and physical defense." "...oh... that's where that stat change was coming from..." she mumbled. "We can go over your picks and smooth some stuff out, if you want," I offered. "Hm... sure, why not? Show me the proper technique to bust castles!" she commanded. I sighed with a laugh as I continued looking through her loadout. This... was going to take a while... > The Meta Million Dollar Question > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, come to think of it, how come you always hang out here and seemingly nowhere else?" I blinked a few times, slowly lowering my mug from my lips as I did. Vinyl smirked at me as she waited for a response. I glanced across the room to Octavia, who just stared at me, taking a long sip of her tea. I placed my tea on the coffee table before looking to Vinyl. "I mean... is that a bad thing?" I carefully asked. "No, not at all. It's just... you spend a lot of time here," Vinyl told me as she cocked my head. "It's because I can't afford to pay for my rent, and if I don't come here I won't be able to eat anything," I deadpanned. Vinyl simply stared at me. "...is that true?" Octavia asked after a moment's reflection. "No, of course not! I don't know, you guys are more fun to be around than anyone else I know," I explained, picking up my tea again. "Well I guess that's good to hear. What about your other friends?" Vinyl continued. "Eh, they're great and all, but they're all so... two dimensional. It's like they don't really have any personality to them. Outside of work, I don't really have anything in common with them." "Hm, I can see how that would become tiring after a while," Octavia said as she sat down on the couch across from me. "Yeah, it's not that I don't like them, but... eh... just that I find it hard to relate to most of them," "So... why us? Why pick us to hang out with?" Vinyl prodded. I sat back in my seat, contemplating my response. ...how could I tell you two what you've done for me...? "...it's the... dynamic that you two have. And it's not even just you two together. You're both so... real. It's refreshing to be around someone that I don't have be overly careful with what I say. At the same time, we like similar things but we also disagree on certain things. But we're all mature enough to have a conversation about it and not get mad or upset. Some people can't do that, and it's... not great to see," I thought aloud. "Hm... very well said Daniel," Octavia admired. I nodded, taking a sip from my ginger tea. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Especially in this town, it's ridiculous! People are so set in their own ways and their own worlds that you would think that disagreeing with them is a crime," Vinyl added. The room fell silent. "...I really hope that I'm not bothering you guys," I whispered. "Daniel, no. That's not what we think at all! You're an amazing friend, and I think Vinyl and I can both agree that we're more than happy to have met you," Octavia consoled me. "Of course! We love having you here. I mean, if you weren't here, who else would edit my flyers for me?" Vinyl joked. I chuckled, before looking down at my mug. "...that mean's a lot to hear... thank you," I smiled. There was a pause in the conversation, before a thought popped into my mind. "Tell you what. Next time we want to hang out, you guys can come over to my apartment and see why I don't like having company over," I smirked. "Oh, I've been to his apartment. There isn't much room there at all," Octavia recalled with a smile. "Yeah, it not great for entertaining guests," I told the pair. "Nope, now we have to come over," Vinyl affirmed. I simply laughed. ...I don't think I could if I wanted to... > Cold Showers > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Have you ever taken a cold shower?" I glanced over at Vinyl at the question. A cold shower? "Hm... yeah, every once in a while I like to. Especially when it's summer time and it gets hot and humid out, that's great," I told her. She nodded a few times, picking up an orange and observing it. I had once again tagged along on one of my friends shopping trips, just for the fun of it. Because, you know, shopping is so much fun... "Aw man, I can see why that would feel good," Vinyl said, placing the orange back in its home. "Why do you ask?" I questioned. "I took a cold shower for the first time ever last night. I was reading an article about it, about how it can have a lot of health benefits. I don't know, it felt alright after a while," Vinyl mused. "Yeah, immediately it's a shock. You know what? It's a good way to wake up in the morning," I chuckled. "Ha! I can see that. You're late, so you just douse yourself in cold water. Yeah, that would wake you up, for sure!" Vinyl laughed. "As for the health things... I don't know, it seems to be the same as a normal shower," I contemplated. We moved on to the baked goods aisle. It always smelled so good there! "Well maybe it's one of those things where it, ya know, helps you in the long run but not immediately?" Vinyl thought. "I'd believe it. There seem to be a lot of those out there, don'tcha think?" I pondered. "Yeah, all sorts of tricks and schemes out there to help you. Cold showers seem to be the most tame out of all of them, really," "Hm... what about Octavia? She seems like the cold shower type," I thought of my friend. "Wait, really? Her? If anything, she seems like the opposite!" Vinyl speculated. "I don't know man, she has a pretty stressful job being a performer. That's one of the things that they're supposed to help with, right?" "Hm, maybe. We'll have to ask her when we see her." "For sure... hey! They have it! Canned bread!" I yelled, turning to show Vinyl the can. She merely looked at it. "...what the fu-" > Fillydelphia Bound > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What did you say you were going to Filly for again?" Octavia asked me, stepping over a small puddle as she did. "There's a conference happening there for writers and journalists and it was suggested to me by Princess Celestia that I go to it," I told her. Octavia had been kind enough to accompany me to the train station, and we were getting close to our destination. "Hm... I'm going to guess that it wasn't actually a suggestion, was it?" my friend giggled. "No, it wasn't. I told her I didn't want to go. She told me I had to. I told her I didn't. So we compromised and now I'm going," "Why don't you want to go? It sounds like it could be a good opportunity." "Yeah, I know it's a good opportunity. I know I should go, but it's still two days of listening to people drone on about things that I don't really care about. Eugh... I wasn't kidding about the compromise thing either. Celestia paid for my train and hotel, so I don't really have to spend anything while I'm there," I thought aloud. The fact that I didn't have to spend any of my bits was somewhat of a comfort to me. "Hm, well that was very generous of her," Octavia said, glancing ahead. "Well, here we are. Wait here for minute, I'll be right back," I told my friend. She nodded, and I approached the ticket booth. "Hello sir, how can I help you?" the mare asked me. "One round trip ticket to Fillydelphia, please," I told her, pulling out a golden slip from my back pocket. "Alright, that'll be sixty bits, please," she said. I slid the piece of paper from the Princess under the glass window. "Ah, I see. Alright, thank you sir... here you are, we hope you have a lovely trip," the mare bid me as she took my travel slip and handed me my ticket. I nodded my thanks, moving back over to find Octavia sitting underneath the awning to the train station. "Well, that's it I guess. They let you board the train anytime while it's here, and mine leaves in twenty minutes, so I guess I'll just go wait. Gotta get a good seat, you know?" I chuckled. "Alright Daniel... wait, where is your luggage?" Octavia tilted her head. "I have everything I need in my backpack. It's only two days, and it's a big bag. It'll be fine, trust me," I explained to her. "Ah, I see. Yes, two days isn't that long, really. Alright, well... I hope your conference is enjoyable. Do take care in Filly, Daniel," Octavia said, straightening up as she did. I smiled, before kneeling down and opening my arms. Octavia giggled, before embracing me in a hug. "It's only two days, I'll be back before you know it," I said, standing back up as I released her. Turning to walk away, I yelled over my shoulder. "See ya later Octavia!" > I'm baaaack! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ah!" I flinched as I stepped out of the train and into the sunlight, shielding my eyes from the assault of light as I did. I had just returned from the writers conference in Fillydelphia that I went to, and now I was looking for a certain unicorn who told me she would meet me at the train station when I got to it. I glanced up and down the platform as I stepped out of the way of a mare trying to get past me. I noticed a sign, and saw that the pony holding it was none other than my friend. Walking over, I called out to her. "Hey! I'm back! ...also, what's with the sign?" I asked. Vinyl glanced down at the sign she was levitating, then back up to me. "It's so you know that I'm the one here to pick you up, duh," she deadpanned. I glanced at the sign again. "...overly dramatic no-fun-having smad writer... I see, how could I have missed the fact that that sign was for me?" I chuckled. She nodded as we began to walk. "I wanted to make sure that it was clear enough that even you could understand it!" Vinyl told me, pointing at me. "Hey, how many other people are there out there that could identify with that?" "Exactly. Octavia told me that it was too mean, but since you got the message instantly, I'd say that it did what it was supposed to." I gave the sign another look over. "Ah yes, I see you've brought back your classic 'smad' term. Good to see that that's still around," I joked, dancing around another mare as I walked with my friend. "Of course. Ever since I came up with that word, I've found that it fits so many types of scenarios! There's not a day that goes by that I'm not smad at least once." I laughed, glancing out over the Canterlot terminal. "So what's the plan for the rest of the day? It's only... eleven thirty, so we have lots of time to do stuff... unless you're busy, of course," I proposed. Vinyl finished stuffing the sign back into the saddlebags that she was wearing before looking up at me. "I have a radio contest to do later at like... six, but sure, let's do something!" she exclaimed. We continued walking for a few moments, before I had to ask the classic question. "...so. How were things with me gone?" Vinyl tilted her head slightly, pondering her answer. "Honestly things were kinda quiet. I basically just sat in my room for the two days and only really came down for things like meals. Tavi practiced a lot, obviously, but she was also pretty quiet. I don't know man, it was just... yeah, it was quieter than usual... what did you do to us!?" Vinyl yelled at me. I laughed as we stepped off of the platform and into Canterlot Station proper. "Listen man, just because you guys are incapable of socializing when I'm not there doesn't mean that that's my fault," I told her. "Ha! I guess you're not wrong. Hey, do you want to go and get some food before we go back home?" "...you mean your home?" I asked tentatively. Vinyl stopped in her tracks. I turned and waited for her to say something. "I mean... I guess you've been around us for so long that at this point it's practically like your home too, huh?" she smiled. I tilted my head in thought. You know what? She wasn't wrong. Over the time that I had known Vinyl and Octavia, I'd spent so much time with them and had gotten to know them so well that I was practically a part of their household. I had other friends, based on things like location or hobby, but... none of them that really mattered as much as them. "I don't know... I do spend a lot of time there," I spoke. "Pfft, please. You regularly come over and cook with us. Of course you're part of it," Vinyl reassured me. I lowered my head in contemplation. Huh... that's pretty cool... "..thanks Vinyl... really, thank you," I thanked my friend. "Hey, don't worry about it man. Now come on, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat," Vinyl told me as we began walking again. "...you know, it's good to know that whether or not I'm part of your household is based on the fact that we cook together," I joked. Vinyl craned her neck to look up at me. "...what else would it be based on?" > Ferris Wheel Thoughts > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You know, from way up here, everyone below us looks like ants," Octavia mused. I leaned over the edge of the Ferris wheel we were on, observing the myriads to people below us. "Yeah, right? Hey, watch this," Vinyl told us, grabbing a piece of popcorn from her bag with her magic. Holding it over the edge, she dropped it. The three of us watched the piece fall, waiting to see what would happen. Sure enough, the popcorn landed on a pony's head, bouncing off and causing them to look up. We jumped back into the basket before they could see us. "Ha! I didn't know I could do that!" Vinyl exclaimed. "Yes, you have discovered powers that defy all known laws of physics and magic," Octavia rolled her eyes. "You know, you should do it again, just to be sure," I winked at Vinyl. "Sure, why not? It'll be easy," she chuckled. "Want to bet?" Octavia challenged. Vinyl and I both glanced at her in silence. "...uh, sure. I'll bet you twenty tickets that I can hit another person with popcorn from up here," Vinyl defended. Octavia lowered her eyes. "Oh, it's on. That teddy bear at the ring game is as good as mine," she said to herself. "Alright, ready?" Vinyl asked. Octavia and I nodded. Vinyl looked down at her popcorn, taking a bit and eating it. She took a large breath in, and exhaled to focus. She grabbed her... her... She grabbed her entire bag of popcorn and dumped it over the edge of the basket... "Hey! You can't do that, that's cheating!" Octavia yelled. I watched the shower of popcorn fall towards the carnival below, covering everyone waiting for the ride in a buttery and salty surprise. "Oh yeah? Says who, the popcorn police?" Vinyl chuckled, sitting back in her seat and crossing her legs. "You used one piece the first time, not the whole bag!" Octavia fought. "Well duh, that's because I can only use the whole bag once," Vinyl smirked. Octavia wrinkled her nose in annoyance, struggling to find something to say. "I only needed twenty tickets to get that bear..." Octavia pouted. I reached into my ticket bag that I had been carrying around with me, pulling out a small patch of tickets. Folding them up, I held them out in front of Octavia. She looked at them, then up to me. "Really?" she tentatively asked me. "Yes really. I'm not going to use them for anything, anyway," I smiled at her. She thought for a moment, before slowly taking them. "Thank you Daniel..." she humbly said, my smile widening. "...man! Just frickin' kiss already!" Vinyl shouted. Octavia and I looked at her, before I began laughing and... ...and Octavia blushed. Because of her coat colour, it was subtle, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. "Vinyl, please, try to be less crass," she straightened up. "Pfft, whatever man. Deny your love for each other, see if I care," she idly teased, looking off to her left. Before anyone could say anything else, Vinyl shot up to look out of the basket. "Hey! Look at that!" she shouted to us. Octavia and I looked where Vinyl was looking, and... Oh, wow. The most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen was shining on us. Swirls of clouds mixed perfectly with the yellow and red that blazed across the sky. On the edge sat a glorious blue, with shades of purple painted in. The sunlight reflected brilliantly off of the clouds that we could see from way up high, giving us the best view of anyone in Canterlot. It was perfect. I looked over to my friends, who were both mesmerized by the stunning, chatoyant lights before us. ...this was perfect. Nothing could sway my opinion now. Things were how they were supposed to be. I found myself thinking that the more and more I looked at my friends and my life. This was it. This is how things were supposed to be. And I don't want them to change... > ...she what? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So when did you get the chance to go on a tour of this place?" Vinyl asked me as she caught up to Octavia and I. "When I first met the princess for, uh... legal reasons... she told me that if I ever wanted a tour of the palace to ask. I figured I'd take her up on the opportunity," I explained. "Well I'm glad you decided to bring us along! This place is amazing! The architecture is even more beautiful on the inside!" Octavia exclaimed, looking every which way as we walked through the halls of Canterlot Castle. "Heh heh... are you sure she didn't say a 'private tour,' Daniel?" Vinyl smirked at me. "Actually, yeah, she did. She told me to meet her in her bedchambers after we finish here," I nonchalantly said. "Wait wait... are you serious!?" Vinyl stopped in her tracks. I turned to look at her. "No, you idiot, of course not!" I shook my head as I went back to following the tour guide. "Man... don't joke about that kind of stuff! I was so jealous for a minute there!" Vinyl pouted. "Pfft, do you even swing that way?" I asked. "Hey man, I'll swing any way for a princess." "Please you two, quit being so juvenile and pay attention," Octavia silenced us, motioning to our waiting guide. "Ahem... on your right here are the Palace Gardens. This is Princess Celestia's favourite place in the whole castle. She spends a lot of her free time here with all of the fauna and animals. She might even be here now! Feel free to take a look around, but do try to be quiet as you may startle the animals," our guide told us. "Thanks, we'll be careful," I advocated for us as we entered the gardens. This place was legendary. I had read that the Palace Gardens were hailed as the single most diverse collection of fauna and live animals in Equestria. Everything from herbs and flowers to deer and even a few species of exotic birds called the gardens home. The collection here was personally curated by the Princess herself, with help from a small and very choice team of botanists and animal experts. The grounds were immaculately kept, terribly clean, and overall a stunning example of beauty. "Holy shit, they have parrots here!?" Vinyl yelled as she ran off. "So much for being quiet," Octavia rolled her eyes. "Come on Tavi, let's see what we can find," I called to her. She nodded, and together we set off down a different path than the one Vinyl had taken. Overall it was a wonderful day out. The sun was shining bright, and only a few clouds here and there dotted the sky. I think a few clouds were better than no clouds, but some might disagree with me. The gardens were quiet, something that I was quite thankful for. Looking around, I could see that what I had read held true. Many different types of flowers, trees, and herbs swayed gently in the breeze around us. I didn't recognize most of the fauna here, and some of the things here looked absolutely foreign to me. Based on my travel experience, they very well could be! "This place is absolutely marvellous. I can't think of a single place I'd rather be right now," Octavia broke the silence. "I know what you mean. What else in Canterlot looks like this? The Conservatory?" I thought aloud. "Even the Conservatory has its limits. It has a sun roof, remember? But here... look! Look at how tall that tree is! Much taller than what the Conservatory could hold," she pointed out. I gazed up, seeing what she was talking about. A tall tree, which looked like a maple, towered above us, reaching far into the sky. "I get what you mean. Hey, let's check that out," I pointed off to my right, seeing a large fountain down a connecting path. "Let's," Octavia agreed. Walking together, we set off for the fountain. Coming into a clearing, we found that the fountain was the center of a small park, with benches scattered around the area. "Wow, how pretty is this?" I mused. Walking around the fountain, I noticed that there were small fish in the water, darting around every which way. I pointed silently to them, showing Octavia what I had found. She looked, giggling at the sight. "Enjoying the gardens, my friends?" I heard a voice ask from behind us. Octavia and I turned around, only to find the one and only Princess Celestia approaching us. "Yes, this place is incredibly beautiful Princess," I told her with a warm smile. "I'm glad you finally decided to take the tour, Daniel," she smiled back, before looking to Octavia. "Ah, Miss Octavia Melody. We've met in passing at the gala, but I don't believe we've ever had the chance to become formally acquainted. Pleased to finally meet you," she greeted. "Your Highness, it is an honour. Your garden is simply brilliant," Octavia commented. "Thank you. It's one of my most prized accomplishments. Tell me, did you two come by yourselves?" Celestia asked. Octavia and I glanced at each other. "Oh, no, our friend Vinyl is around here somewhere. She ran off when she saw the parrots around here," I explained. I noticed Octavia blushing again. ...hm... "Ahem... so what are you doing out here, Princess?" I broke the silence. "Oh, me? I'm working on conducting our annual census of the different varieties of fauna in the gardens. My team and I do this every year to track the growth and development of the wildlife here," she told me, pulling a book out of the saddlebags she was wearing. "We're almost done, and just in time, too. It's been more difficult this year. Our main bookkeeper left the library team recently, and he took his assistant with him. We've been looking to replace both positions for a while now," she lamented. I nodded in understanding, before feeling a slight nudge on my right leg. I looked down at Octavia. She nudged me again, and I leaned down to hear her. "...you could do that," she whispered to me once I could hear her. I looked at her, standing back up as I did. Before I could say anything, the Princess spoke. "Say, Daniel... you used to work at a library, correct?" she asked me. "That's right Princess. I worked at the library in the West Station division for five years," I recalled. Celestia nodded in consideration. "Yes, I remember now. You were the primary bookkeeper there, weren't you?" she smiled. "Yep. I started as an assistant, but they moved me up to primary after four months. I think they were looking for a new one for a while." "Interesting. Very interesting..." Celestia spoke quietly. I nodded in agreement. "...Daniel, are you currently looking for employment?" Celestia tilted her head at me with a smile. I briefly thought about what she was offering. "Uh..." I stumbled. A sharp jab from the mare next to me brought me back to my senses and made Celestia giggle. "...I... yes," I stated. "Well, what a coincidence! You seem to have just the skills that we're looking for!" Celestia exclaimed. I detected the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice. "If you are interested in the position, you can forward your resume to the employment department of the castle, and I'll ensure that it comes straight to me," she continued. "Of course. I'll do that as soon as I get home today," I reassured her. "Excellent. Don't worry, I'm sure you'd make an excellent fit on the castle team!" she smiled warmly. "Thank you Princess," I nodded. "Please, just Celestia is more than fine, and don't let anyone else tell you two otherwise," Celestia told us, and both Octavia and I nodded in understanding, Celestia turning her eyes towards my friend. "Miss Melody, I assume I can count on you and your quartet to perform at the gala again this year?" she asked. "Of course, Princess. We wouldn't miss it for the world," she nodded firmly. "Excellent! Everything is in order, then! Do make sure you get your resume in to the employment department, Daniel." "Of course, Celestia," I responded. "Well, I need to continue our census. It was a pleasure talking to you two. Thank you for taking the time to visit the gardens. If you ever want to come back, all you need to do is ask. You and your friend Vinyl are more than welcome here anytime," Celestia told us, slowly walking past us and towards the opposite side of the fountain. "Oh, and Daniel, one more thing," she stopped. She looked to Octavia, who quickly took the hint. With a graceful bow, she turned and walked away to a bench to wait for me. Once she was out of earshot, Celestia leaned towards me. "So, how do you like that mare?" she asked me bluntly. I barely flinched at the question, formulating my answer as quickly as I could. "She's... she's a wonderful mare, with an incredible heart. I'm lucky to have her as my friend," I spoke truthfully, Celestia nodding as I spoke. "I see... have you asked her out yet?" I swallowed some air at the question, a large coughing fit overtaking me. Celestia waited for me with a smile. "I- she's... ugh... no, I have not asked her out. Why do you need to know?" I managed. "Just curious, really." "Hm, an interesting thing to be curious about." "Mhm." "..." "..." "...you should ask her out," Celestia spoke. I stared at her, then over to Octavia, then back to Celestia. "I... no," I stumbled. "Why not?" "I... she doesn't even like me..." "Daniel, please, don't insult me. I've lived for over a thousand years. I can tell when two people are in love just as well as Princess Cadence can, and she's the Princess of Love!" Celestia argued. I briefly thought about what she was saying for a moment. "And you know what? She likes you and you like her too," she continued. I met Celestia's eyes, contemplating what to say next. Celestia draped a wing over my shoulder, pulling me in closer. "Look, you don't need to argue with me. All you need to know is that she likes you, and you like her, and if you want to deprive yourself of her company then so be it," she told me, patting me on the back before pushing me towards Octavia. "Go on. Do whatever you want with that information. Take care Daniel, until next time," she ushered me away. With a wave to Octavia, Celestia took her leave, disappearing behind a hedge as she snickered to herself. Hm... "What was that about?" Octavia asked as I approached her. "I- oh, nothing. Just some info about the job," I lied, scratching the back of my head. "Mhm... well, shall we go and try to find Vinyl?" "Sure, let's go," I agreed. We spent the rest of our time in the gardens searching for our friend. The whole time we looked, Celestia's words kept replaying in my mind. She likes you... Is she right...? ...maybe... > Happiness is Overrated > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "...do you ever think that we'll be forever stuck within our own little pocket of the universe, never able to reach the stars that we look up to at night? How far can we really go? With that in mind, what even is the point of moving forward? If we know that we are eventually going to come up against a wall, what even is the point of living?" "..." "..." "...well aren't you just a fuckin' ray of sunshine?" Vinyl shot at me. I smirked at her, turning back to gazing out the window. For the past hour rain had been pouring down from the sky. I was about to begin making my way home at the time, but Octavia had suggested that I just wait here for the rain to let up, lest I get soaked on my trip. "Listen man, somebody has to wonder about these things," I told Vinyl. I heard the clicks and clacks of a cello case being opened as we conversed. "Yeah, but there are people who actually get paid to think about that stuff. You aren't one of them." "Sure, but I am a writer. I get paid to express my thoughts and project my creativity. In a way, I get paid to think as well," I explained. "You know what? I'd drink to that if I had a drink," she nodded slowly. Vinyl's ears perked up as she thought. "You know what again? Why don't I have a drink?" she asked the room. I glanced across the coffee table to Octavia. "I don't know, go for it," I waved. Vinyl nodded, hopping out of her seat and ambling into the kitchen in search of intoxication. "Have you ever thought about how good of an inspiration rain is?" Octavia polled. "Hm, what do you mean?" I tilted my head. "Think about it. Your thoughts change when it's raining, do they not?" she asked me. I nodded, thinking about my earlier existential crisis. "Well it's the same way with music; with anything creative, really. Different times of day, different weather, the seasons... they can all sway how we think... how we create," Octavia thought aloud, pulling her cello out of its case and retrieving her bow. "Mm, I can see where you're coming from. Whenever it rains I write about things that are... not necessarily sad, but... things that are almost... taboo? Maybe not taboo, but things that most people would rather not think about," I added, taking a sip of my tea. Octavia stood up with her cello, slowly and quietly checking her tuning. "It's the same with my practice. I like to play melancholic pieces when it rains. It's not because I'm sad, but... I don't know... maybe my cello is sad." "Ha! With all the extra humidity in the air, I can see why the rain makes it sad," I laughed. Octavia giggled, drawing her bow across her A string. Slowly, she played. I always reveled in the opportunity to hear my friend play, and this time was no different. She was playing a piece that I was unfamiliar with, but it sounded beautiful nonetheless. "Sometimes I wish it would start raining and never stop. I love the rain," Octavia sighed. I sat and listened to her, glancing over as Vinyl came back and sat down with a glass of wine. "Ah, you two are always so depressing. What's with you?" Vinyl asked, taking a long sip of her drink. "Pfft, it's too depressing to be happy all of the time," I spoke. Octavia glanced up at me, her playing faulting ever so slightly. "Those are words to live by. You shouldn't let anyone tell you that you need to be cheerful all of the time. It's just completely unrealistic," she mused. I nodded as I sipped on my tea. "Besides, happiness is overrated anyway." For the rest of the late afternoon, Octavia played us beautiful music, and it was wonderful. I never wanted to leave. > EQ Mobile > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, what carrier are you with?" Vinyl asked me as she sat down across from me. We were at Donut Joe's, grabbing some coffee before we attended one of Octavia's performances tonight. "EQ Mobile, why?" I told her, making sure I didn't spill my latte. "Huh, I'm with PegaTel and I don't want to be anymore," she said, scrolling on her phone apathetically. "Why's that?" "Because! Their plans are so stupid and they send me so many text messages trying to sell me their 'upgraded plan' and I hate them and they suck and I'm switching carriers." I blinked a few times, trying to sort through all of the things that she had just said to me. "Alright... what kind of plan do you have?" I asked, hoping to quell Vinyl's anger. "Ugh... alright. I have, like... unlimited minutes and texting in Equestria, because I have to have that, and I get a certain amount of minutes to call outside of the country but not overseas," she recalled. "How much?" "Like... one hundred and ten bits a month." "...wow... you're getting ripped off!" "Really? What do you have?" "With EQ Mobile I have basically the same thing, but for only seventy five a month," I told her. "Are you kidding me!? Seventy five? How... AH!" Vinyl threw her head back in anger. "Hey, shush. Just switch. You're not contract locked, are you?" I asked. "No... ugh, whatever. Can we stop by PegaTel when we leave? It's on the way to the concert hall." "Yeah man, sure thing. Wait... what's PegaTel's upgraded plan if it isn't the one that you have?" I perked up. "Eh, it's one with the same things but you get unlimited calling to the places outside of Equestria like the Crystal Empire... if you needed to do that for some reason," Vinyl explained. "Ha! And how much is that?" I chuckled. "One thirty, I think. Yeah, I know, it's bad." "Jeez, yeah man, switch to EQ," I recommended as I finished my latte. "Yep, you don't need to tell me twice." "Well I'm going to. Switch to EQ." Vinyl threw her head back and arms up, surprising practically everyone in the restaurant. "Well holy shit, Daniel! That's some of the most revolutionary advice you've ever given me! How will I ever repay you for your knowledge!?" "Can you relax? Everyone is staring," I cautioned. "Pfft, who cares?" > Hotel? Trivago. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "How much did you say it was a night for the first one?" Vinyl asked me. "Which first one? The Golden Blossom or the... Radishson?" I called across the room. "Uh... the first one." "Ha! It's, uh... one hundred forty five bits a night," I told her with a laugh as I scanned the hotel's page in this months edition of Equestria Abroad. We were pla... actually, I was planning a trip to Baltimare for another convention when Vinyl had promptly showed up, invited herself, and involved herself in the booking process. Now, of course she had gone and told Octavia what the plan was, and of course, she also told Octavia that I had told Vinyl to invite Octavia along. Was this really an issue? No, of course not. Did I wish we would have talked about it first? Yes, of course I did. "Man, that's not that bad. Hey... here we go!" she exclaimed. "What? What did you find?" I asked. "There's this place called... Paint Pony Lodge, like... 10 minutes away from the con. It's a hundred and thirteen a night, eight and a half stars, free breakfast... uhhhhh... and the best part is that it's a suite. One bed room with two queens, a kitchenette, full bath... I don't know man, this one seems alright," she read aloud. I tilted my head at all of the information. "All of that for how much!? Let me see that book," I told Vinyl as I rolled across her room on my swivel chair. Grabbing the book from her, I glanced over the page. "...full amenities, nothing loud nearby... how can this kind of a place be so cheap? Cheap relative to what they're offering," I said, glancing over at my friend. She raised her forelegs, shrugging her answer at me. "Hey man, if it works, let's grab it!" Vinyl told me. "Yeah... this might be it," I nodded slowly. There was only one thing that had me moderately concerned. "The only thing that I can see is that there's one bedroom. Is that, like..." I trailed off. Vinyl stared at me, waiting for me to continue. "...an issue?" I spoke. "Why would it be?" Vinyl asked back. "I don't know, you're both girls... don't you need, like... privacy?" "Privacy... for..." "I don't know... girl things!" "Oh, right, those things! Yeah, you're right. Tavi and I are going to have some wild nights, lemme tell ya!" Vinyl practically yelled. "Yeah?" I challenged. "No, not yeah! What girl things are you talking about? Sleeping? That's typically what you do in a bedroom... among other things." I sat quietly, not daring to add fuel to the fire. "Look, if you're too scared to sleep in the same room with a couple of mares, then that's your loss," she poked. "It's not fear, you halfwit, it's courtesy," I told her. "Oh, is that the term you guys use when you can't get it up?" "..." "..." "..." "..." "...that was a pretty good one," I broke the silence. "Yeah, I was a little worried that I might have gone too far with that one," Vinyl told me. "Bah, who cares? Now... about the hotel." "Actually, it's a lodge." "Yeah yeah, whatever. Are you okay with this one? Should I book it?" "Sure, it seems alright. Actually, when you call them, try and find out what the catch is. I agree with you, there's gotta be something up," my friend instructed me. I nodded, standing up to go use the phone downstairs. Vinyl got up to follow me. "Just think! Come August, we'll be living large!" she spoke. "At a food convention?" "Uh... large relative to attending a food convention!" I merely shook my head with a smile. > Fluff > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, can you grow a beard?" "Can I grow a beard?" "Yeah, you know? Facial hair." "No, I'm familiar with the concept. Uh... not really. I can grow a bit of fluff, but... actually, you know what? I've never tried growing a beard!" I thought aloud. "Oh? Why not?" Vinyl asked me. I lowered the document that I was holding, bringing a hand up to my chin in contemplation. "Eh, the thought of having facial hair never really appealed to me. I don't really want to find out what I look like with a beard. I shave pretty much every other day to keep it clean," I told my friend. Vinyl took a long sip from her coffee before placing it down on the coffee table. "Really? I don't know, I kinda want to see you with some stubble now," she told me. "Ha! That makes one of us. It's just... even when I have that little bit of hair, I hate how it feels. It just feels... messy, or wrong, in a way. I like to keep my face smooth. I even keep my sideburns clean, too." "Yeah, I can understand the clean part of that." We were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, Octavia coming in with her saddlebags bulging with what I assume were groceries. "Hello you two! What are we discussing today?" she asked as she made her way to the kitchen. "We're talking about facial hair," Vinyl told her. "Ooo, truly a riveting conversation. What about it?" Octavia questioned us as she disappeared out of the room. "Vinyl was interrogating me about growing a beard. I don't want to," I called out. "...ah, yes, I see. Why don't you want to, if you don't mind me asking?" she responded as she poked her head back into the room. "It just feels messy to have facial hair. That, and I've never actually tried to grow anything intentionally. It's gotten relatively long in the past by accident. You know, like when I don't have access to a razor... but other than that I just can't see a reason to want a beard," I mused. "I'd grow a beard if I could," Vinyl stated. Octavia and I both stared at her. She glanced between us, her face unchanging. "What? You expect me to be ashamed? Nope. I meant what I said and said what I meant," she told us. The conversation ended there, and I'm glad that it did. > Lost in my own Mind > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new year... already? Surely not... Today had been an odd day. Not odd because of anything specific that had happened, but odd because... things felt kinda... ...off? I suppose it is... I wonder what this one will bring. I had spent most of the day in a weird, almost trace-like train of thought, yet my actions wouldn't have given that away. It almost seemed like things were working automatically... almost like I was in some kind of perpetual daydream. Something like this had happened once before... when I was... ...when I was on the train... with Vinyl... On that day, things had suddenly felt... out of place? I suppose that would be the best way to describe it. It was a sudden and surprising feeling of being disconnected with the world, yet today was different. I felt like I was watching myself from out of my body. Like I wasn't the one in control; like I was an observer... I glanced at the clock on the wall of my apartment. 11:47... I had a performance to attend tonight. Octavia was playing at one of the theatres in Canterlot, and Vinyl and I were going to watch. That wasn't until seven thirty tonight, however. Vinyl was coming to grab me before we went to the hall together. Until then... Will this year be any different? ...why should it be? What was this feeling? And what did a new year matter? Things wouldn't be any different than they were last month. Or... should they be? What was stopping me from changing things? After what the Princess had told me in the garden... things were completely in my hands. But... weren't they always? This weird sense of thought... perhaps there was something wrong with me. Always thinking things that didn't matter, always making excuses, always trying to- I was startled by the sudden sound of a loud knock at my door. I stared at my entryway for a moment, before shaking my head to clear my thoughts. "Who is it?" I asked as I stood up. "It's Vinyl! Are you ready to go?" I heard my friend call to me. I flinched, glancing up to my clock. Vinyl wasn't supposed to be here until... "Seven o'clock...?" I muttered under my breath. "Daniel?" Vinyl called again. "Uh... yeah, yeah! Give me a minute... I'll be right out!" I yelled back. What the fuck? It was just... it wasn't even noon...? I quickly grabbed a nice shirt and a good, clean pair of slacks to put on. Dressing as fast as I could, I went to the kitchen to grab my keys and my ticket. I opened the door as I gave my apartment one last glance to see if I forgot anything. "Hey! You weren't asleep, were you?" Vinyl asked. "No, no no. I was just... just doing some writing," I lied as I closed my door. "Musta' been pretty deep in thought, huh?" "Yeah, just super involved in the story is all." "I feel that. Ready for the show?" "Of course. Do we know what Octavia is playing tonight?" "I don't, but it'll probably be on the program once we get there," Vinyl told me as we stepped into the elevator. The feeling I had from earlier was gone. Now that I was focused, now that I had... someone to talk to... Could that be it...? Whatever it was, I didn't feel like I was getting any closer to figuring out what I was feeling. Vinyl and I made our way to the theatre, confusion in my mind and a sharp, red dress on Vinyl. > World-class Faker > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So how long have you been playing the guitar?" Luna asked me. "Um... about four years now, I think... maybe? Yeah, that sounds right," I thought aloud. "Well you're very good at it. I've heard some ponies play worse with more experience." "Hah, yeah... sometimes that whole 'fake it 'till you make it' thing actually works out." "Well you're clearly not faking it." "Hm, I would have to be a world-class faker to get away with playing for you, though." "Ha! I suppose so, no? If you don't mind me asking, why the guitar?" "Well... I've played plenty of other instruments before. Flute, cello, a little violin, some drums... none of them really stuck with me, I guess. None of them really made me want to keep learning." "I see. And the guitar did?" "The acoustic guitar did. I have an electric back at my place, but I don't play it nearly as much as this one." "Interesting. Why is that?" "I think... it's the way it sounds. But more than just... as an acoustic guitar. As an instrument. Acoustic instruments always resonated more with me... no pun intended. And with the guitar? I don't know, it's just... when you play the acoustic guitar, there's no effects or modulation to change how you sound. It's just you and the strings. Everything you do is immediately rewarded. And every mistake you make is highlighted." "Hmm... very interesting. So it's the purity of the sound you enjoy? The purity of the music?" "Yes! Exactly! I guess it's a... bit of an... antiquated view, but... you get what you give with pure acoustic instruments. If I spend time practicing and learning then when I do play, everything I do is a direct result of my effort, and that just feels great, ya know?" "Mhm, certainly. That makes a lot of sense. And I don't think I would call that view antiquated. You're proud of the fact that you can play well. And the only reason you can do that is because you put in the time and effort to learn. What's not to be proud of?" "Yeah... that makes a lot of sense. Thank you, Luna." "Of course. When one is as dedicated as you clearly are, one should be encouraged, no?" "I certainly can't argue with that, no." "...you said you play the cello?" "Hm, yeah, I did for a while." "Really?" "Yep. Why, do I not come across as a cellist to you?" "Actually it surprises me to know that you didn't stick with the cello." "Oh? Why?" "You seem like the kind of person who would play the cello." "Mmm, that sounds like an insult." "Ha! That sounds like an insult to cellists." "Ya got me there." > A New Challenger Appears! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wait, so you actually pay your bills with your writing?" I chuckled at the question I'd heard many times, one that even Princess Luna had asked when we first met. "Mhm, yes I do. Surprising?" I asked the mare across from me. Sunset Shimmer took a brief sip of her coffee, nodding as she did. "I mean, yeah, kinda. Most people don't make their main living off of something like that, but... I guess that just means you're a really good writer, yeah?" she asked with a warm smile. "Eh, I guess I'm okay, but honestly half of making enough money is about knowing what to write, not how to." "Mmm... elaborate." "Sure. So, yeah, I do write plenty of fantasy and fiction novellas and things that I actually wanna write, but... the main chunk of my income comes from articles I sell to the Canterlot Post." "Seriously?" Sunset questioned. "Mhm. I write things like opinion articles and advice columns and sell it to them. They kinda eat it up, actually," I chuckled. Sunset ran her hoof around the rim of her mug, contemplating for a moment. "But... and no offence of course, but... how do you manage to sell enough of your work like that?" she mused. "None taken. See, all you really have to do is write pieces that the nobles around here like." I explained. Sunset raised an eyebrow at me. "Ah, I know what you're thinking. See, the trick is... to write something that makes the nobles and business people agree with what you're writing while also doing it in a way that doesn't marginalize or disparage other groups of people." Sunset narrowed her eyes slightly. "Oh... but you're still writing advice columns in a paper for snobs, right?" she questioned. "Yeah, but if you know what you're doing you can write about some pretty silly things and still have the paper trust you enough to buy your work." "Like what?" "Well... last week I submitted a piece criticizing the craftsmanship of some of the water fountains in Rosehill park." Sunset narrowed her eyes at me again. "And... they bought it? A newspaper... as big as the Canterlot Post... actually paid for it?" "Oh yeah, cause... think about it... who would have built the fountains in that park?" I asked. Sunset tilted her head at me as she pondered my question. "...you should have a pretty decent idea," I spoke, pointing to my forehead. Sunset looked at me for a moment before looking up at her own horn. "...oh! The castle?" she asked. "Mhm, exactly. The castle would have commissioned them. And basically, all you have to do as a writer is criticize the castle or the princesses and people will practically knock down your door for those stories," I spoke with a grin. "Well I would imagine. You don't see a lot of criticism pieces on the princesses out there," Sunset pointed out. "Mhm, but I do it in a way that you could barely call a criticism. I mean, come on... water fountain build quality? Who am I really making fun of there?" I asked. "The people who actually built the fountain?" Sunset smirked. "Mhm, but how many ponies are actually going to go and put in the effort to find out what probably now defunct company actually built the fountains?" Sunset raised an eyebrow in realization. "That's... actually kinda genius," she admitted. Taking a long sip of my coffee, I chuckled. "And when I'm behind an anonymous pen name, who can trace it back to me?" "Mhm, fair. Well played, Daniel. Well played," Sunset smiled.